PowerBridge, a developer of submarine transmission lines, gave the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (FSEC) an initial technical briefing on the Cascade Renewable Transmission Project and its planned review path on the evening of the FSEC hearing. The company said the project would use a bundled cable system — two high‑voltage cables with a fiber‑optic line — to transmit roughly 1,100 megawatts across about 100 miles, with converter stations at Big Eddy and the Rivergate Industrial Area in Portland.

The project proponent, Chris Hocker of PowerBridge, told the council the line is designed to ease east‑to‑west transmission constraints across the Cascades that limit the delivery of new renewable generation to western load centers. “Our project is designed to help meet that constraint,” Hocker said, adding that the under‑river route can bypass some upgrades that otherwise would be needed on the overland transmission system.

FSEC staff described the agency’s role and the multi‑agency review the project will require. Executive Director Sonya Bumpus noted FSEC can oversee permit coordination and, if it recommends approval to the governor, will prepare a draft site certification agreement addressing pre‑construction, construction and operation requirements. Staff emphasized that separate environmental reviews under state SEPA and federal NEPA — and Army Corps permits under Section 404 — will be part of the coordinated record. “We encourage you to engage with the process,” Bumpus said, noting a project‑specific mailing list and multiple future opportunities for public comment.

PowerBridge explained key elements of construction and operations: horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to safely bring the cable ashore (HDD entry depths described by the applicant were in the order of 40–50 feet), in‑river installation using a hydro‑plow or jet‑plow that creates a narrow trench (roughly 2 feet wide) while laying cable, and a target burial depth of roughly 10–15 feet below sediment in areas where agencies require that depth. The company said the in‑river installation would likely occur in winter work windows over two seasons and estimated installation and construction would take about 3½ years. Hocker said the hydro‑plow method is used internationally and in other U.S. projects the company referenced.

Staff and the applicant said a number of technical studies — biological assessments, endangered species reviews, sediment transport analysis and detailed geophysical surveys — are part of the application package or planned for follow‑up. The applicant also flagged the need for interconnection agreements with Bonneville Power Administration and Portland General Electric.

The council did not take any formal action. Instead, staff reminded the public that FSEC will accept written comments into the project record, that public scoping and comment opportunities will recur during the SEPA/NEPA processes, and that multiple agency permits (including U.S. Army Corps §404 and state shoreline and DNR reviews) are required before construction could proceed.