In a recent letter to the editor, representatives from two neighborhood groups requested additional studies to prove the need for the Energize Eastside project. PSE (Puget Sound Energy) and independent consultants have conducted multiple studies that all point to an urgent local need for the project, making additional studies unnecessary.

Energize Eastside – a project to build a new electric substation and higher capacity transmission lines – is driven by local growth. The existing electric system serving the Eastside area had its last major upgrade 50 years ago. Since that time, Eastside population has grown almost eight times, and that growth is expected to continue. Between 2010 and 2040, the Puget Sound Regional Council predicts Eastside employment to grow 73 percent and population to grow by more than a third. This drastic growth requires a robust electric system that can support it.

The most recent independent study was commissioned and funded by the city of Bellevue. Just like similar studies before it, the independent study concluded that there is a local need for the Energize Eastside project. In addition, the study included thorough analysis of various generation levels and connections with other regional utilities, and the results did not change.

We understand the Energize Eastside project will bring change to the community – unwanted change, for some. But these studies, conducted by reputable electric system planning experts according to strict federal reliability requirements, point to a problem that we as a community need to solve.

Jens Nedrud and Gretchen Aliabadi, Puget Sound Energy