Oregon Public Broadcasting

A new multi-million dollar power transmission project will create hundreds of jobs and carry wind energy to homes and businesses across the West.

That's according to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu who made the announcement Monday in Richland, Washington.

As part of his visit, Chu is touring the Hanford Nuclear Reservation Tuesday. Correspondent Anna King reports.

It's called the McNary-John Day transmission project. And the federal government will spend $343 million of stimulus money to build 79 miles of new power transmission lines.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu

They'll stretch from Oregon across the Columbia River into Washington and then back into Oregon.

Energy Secretary Chu says the project will get wind energy where it's needed on the grid.

He also says the Bonneville Power Administration is studying how to best use hydro dams like rechargeable battery packs to capture more wind energy.

Steven Chu: “And so when the wind is blowing and you don't want it, you can use that energy to pump water up a hill and when you need it you can let that water go from one dam to another dam for example.”

Chu says the new power line project should transmit nearly 600 megawatts.

Work on the new power lines has already started.