Aeolus–Jim Bridger 500 kV/345 kV Transmission Line Foundations

PAR, through its foundations construction division Longfellow Drilling, was selected as part of an EPC team to construct the Aeolus–Jim Bridger 500 kV/345 kV Transmission Line.

Crews constructed 2,072 drilled pier lattice tower foundations, 21 drilled pier steel pole foundations, and 26 direct embed H-Frames drilled and bases set for the project, which traversed across 138 miles of Wyoming right-of-way. Varying terrain, geology, and extreme seasonal weather conditions required the use of multiple drill rig types and specialty equipment. The remoteness of the project required the use of mobile concrete batch plants and coordination of several concrete hauling services.

Quanta provided engineering, procurement and construction solutions for the Aeolus-Jim Bridger Transmission Line Project. The project, which consists of about 138 miles of single-circuit, 500-kV transmission line and about five miles of single-circuit, 345-kV transmission line.

The project is a segment of the Gateway West Transmission Line Project, which is part of PacifiCorp’s $3.5bn Energy Vision 2020 plan that is expected to add more than 1,000 MW of wind generation and upgrade existing wind generation facilities in Wyoming.

The 500-kV line connects the new Aeolus substation near Medicine Bow, Wyoming, to the new Anticline substation located near Point of Rocks, Wyoming, while the 345-kV line connects the Anticline substation to a new line termination bay at the Jim Bridger Generating Station substation. The project is a segment of the Gateway West Transmission Line Project.