Cowlitz PUD receives state, federal grants for Ryderwood power updates
Cowlitz Public Utility District received $3 million in state and federal grants to relocate and underground a power line serving Ryderwood and nearby rural areas in Cowlitz and Lewis counties, it announced Monday.
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The funding includes $1.15 million from a 2026 Congressionally Directed Spending request by Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Sen. Maria Cantwell, as well as a $1.9 million Washington Grid Resilience Program grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce.
The existing line runs along State Route 506 and through a densely forested abandoned railroad corridor near Ryderwood. Between 2016 and 2025, it experienced 38 outages, including some lasting up to 18 hours, according to a press release.
Cowlitz PUD plans to move the line underground primarily along SR 506, which will help prevent weather-related outages and reduce wildfire risk.
Gluesenkamp Perez
Gluesenkamp Perez
The total estimated project cost is $5.5 million. Cowlitz PUD is set to enter grant agreements with the Washington State Department of Commerce and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the coming months.
Project design is scheduled to begin in 2027, and construction is set to begin in 2028.
Maria Cantwell
Cantwell
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