Leslie Road Substation Project

Richland Energy Services (RES) and Benton PUD are collaborating on the substation, which has been part of RES’ Capital Improvement Plan since 2014 and is necessary to serve the growing load in the southeast Richland area and to provide backup reliability to neighboring RES and Benton PUD substations.  In April 2016 the City Council authorized purchasing the land at the intersection of Reata and Leslie Roads in southeast Richland for the new substation. 

Leslie Road Project Fact Sheet
Leslie Road Project Frequently Asked Questions
Leslie Road Project Map

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) will construct its transmission line that will interconnect the Leslie Rd Substation to the BPA transmission system, and Benton PUD is planning to install its transformer in late 2018.  We will energize the substation to begin serving RES and Benton PUD customers in March 2019.

The partnership between RES and Benton PUD benefits customers and saves money. By collaborating on the project, we are able to build the infrastructure needed at a substantial savings to customers compared to siting and building two separate substations.

Watch the Substation Progress
You can watch the substation construction progress through the lens of the time lapse camera at the site. Click on the menu in the upper left hand corner then the play button at the bottom of the frame to watch the substation take form.