Wilson Construction of Canby, Oregon, won the first contract to build a 70-mile (113km) stretch of the 500-kilovolt line in Washington state along the Columbia River, a haven for windsurfers attracted by the same strong winds that have enticed wind developers. Other contracts will be let to complete the remainder of the line, which will connect two BPA substations, reinforce existing transmission and pass through two Washington counties -- Klickitat and Benton -- with significant wind development and potential.

The project, which largely follows existing BPA rights of way, is targeted for completition in late 2012.

The BPA, a non-profit, federal transmission operator and power marketer operating in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, has proposed four new high-voltage lines (225 miles (362km) in total) designed to serve requests for up to 3,700MW, of which 2,790MW is expected to come from renewable sources.

BPA currently purchases wind power from seven projects and has more than 2,000MW of wind connected to its system.

The federal stimulus act expanded BPA's borrowing authority by $3.25bn, making it possible to pursue the transmission projects, the agency says.