Oregon Captial Chronicle | October 20, 2023 | Alex Baumhardt

Two Oregon utilities and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs will receive nearly $450 million from the federal government to modernize the region’s power grid and incorporate a growing amount of renewable energy.

The investment by the Biden administration will allow PacifiCorp, Portland General Electric, or PGE, and the tribe to boost transmission capacity and job training programs and fortify the electric grid from the growing threat of wildfires.

“This is a tremendous opportunity that will open the potential for renewable energy development on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation to the economic benefit of the tribe and its membership,” Tribal Chairman Jonathan Smith said in a news release.