Priest Rapids Dam restarted

PRIEST RAPIDS DAM — The last of nine damaged generators was expected to be restarted by Thursday at the Priest Rapids powerhouse.

The powerhouse lost power generation capacity earlier this week, but the grid was not affected, said Kathy Kiefer, a Grant PUD spokesperson, on Thursday.

The problem stemmed from a loss of a direct current unit power supply for all turbines and generators, which lasted just more than one minute, she said.

Smoke in the powerhouse was caused by the electrical issue, she explained.

Electricians and technicians worked together to assess the damage and test the units.

When the power supply was restored, a power surge occurred and electrical filtering units were damaged in nine out of 10 generators.

— Staff report