FORDS PRAIRIE
SubstationWashington · BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION
At a glance
FORDS PRAIRIE is an electric transmission substation in Washington, on BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION's transmission network. It is classified as distribution (69–115 kv) and connects 1 transmission line. Substation proximity is one of the strongest speed-to-power signals for siting a datacenter — interconnection distance to an energized, high-voltage bus is often the binding constraint on time-to-energization.
Voltage & classification
Ownership
Connected transmission lines
Lines terminating at or passing through this substation, by HIFLD line ID, highest voltage first.
| Line ID | Voltage | Owner | Status | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #200917 | 69 kV | BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION | — | 0.1 mi |
Nearby datacenter candidate sites
Scored candidate sites within roughly 25 miles of FORDS PRAIRIE, ranked by DC Readiness. Sites this close to an energized substation carry a strong speed-to-power advantage.
| Site | Type | State | County | Voltage | Capacity | Queue wait | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN201455 | Substation-Adjacent | WA | Thurston County | 500 kV | 1,000 MW | 3.5 yrs | 67.8 |
| OLYMPIA | Substation-Adjacent | WA | Thurston County | 500 kV | 1,000 MW | 3.5 yrs | 63.9 |
| NAPAVINE | Substation-Adjacent | WA | Thurston County | 500 kV | 1,000 MW | 3.5 yrs | 63.8 |
| YELM PP | Substation-Adjacent | WA | Thurston County | 230 kV | 300 MW | 3.5 yrs | 61.8 |
| OZ Thurston | Greenfield | WA | Thurston | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 60.8 |
| OZ Thurston | Greenfield | WA | Thurston | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 60.7 |
| EC Near Transalta Centralia Generation | Greenfield | WA | Lewis | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 59.9 |
| EC Near Transalta Centralia Generation | Greenfield | WA | Lewis | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 59.6 |
How does FORDS PRAIRIE compare with other substations in Washington?
Washington has 2,106 substation records in HIFLD, of which 785 carry a station name; the rest are unnamed tap points, risers and line ends. 71 named substations in the state are in FORDS PRAIRIE's 69–114 kV band (9% of named stations). 652 sit in a higher band. 34 named substations in Washington operate at 345 kV or above. The highest voltage recorded in the state is 500 kV, and the state median is 115 kV.
Who owns the transmission lines at FORDS PRAIRIE?
The 1 connected line listed above is owned by BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION. Line voltages range from 69 kV to 69 kV. Their combined recorded length is about 0.1 miles.
How do candidate sites near FORDS PRAIRIE score?
The 8 highest-scoring candidate sites within about 25 miles range from 60 to 68 on the 0–100 DC Readiness scale. They fall in Thurston County, Thurston, Lewis. The Washington average across 6,019 scored sites is 51.7. 1,343 of those Washington sites are classed as substation sites (candidate locations generated at an existing substation).
Frequently asked questions
What voltage is FORDS PRAIRIE substation?
FORDS PRAIRIE has a maximum voltage of 69 kV. That places it in the 69–114 kV band. The median named US substation in this dataset is 115 kV, so FORDS PRAIRIE is below the national midpoint.
How many transmission lines connect to FORDS PRAIRIE substation?
1 transmission line terminate at or pass through FORDS PRAIRIE in the HIFLD line data. The connected lines listed here run at 69 kV. Together the listed lines cover about 0.1 miles.
Who owns FORDS PRAIRIE substation?
HIFLD does not publish substation owners directly. Most of the transmission lines that end at FORDS PRAIRIE belong to BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION. GridCensus derives this from the line data, so confirm ownership with the utility for anything contractual.
Where is FORDS PRAIRIE substation located?
FORDS PRAIRIE is in Washington at 46.7369, -123.0067. The datacenter candidate sites closest to it are in Thurston County, Thurston, Lewis.
Are there datacenter candidate sites near FORDS PRAIRIE substation?
GridCensus lists at least 8 scored candidate sites within roughly 25 miles of FORDS PRAIRIE. The highest-scoring is UNKNOWN201455 at 68/100. Across Washington, the average DC Readiness score is 51.7.
Other 69 kV substations in Washington
- OLYMPIA· 9 lines
- BLAKESLEE JUNCTION· 4 lines
- PORT MADISON· 4 lines
- BREMERTON· 3 lines
- CENTRALIA· 3 lines
- GRAVEL PIT SUBSTATION· 3 lines
- LOPEZ ISLAND· 3 lines
- NORTH STANWOOD· 3 lines
- All named substations in Washington· 785 stations
- Datacenter candidate sites in Washington· 6,019 sites
- Brownfield and retired plant sites in Washington
- Substations by state
About this data
Source: HIFLD Electric Substations and Transmission Lines (U.S. Department of Homeland Security), as published June 29, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: GridCensus, “FORDS PRAIRIE substation, Washington”, https://gridcensus.com/substations/washington/fords-prairie-447dca06 (data as of June 29, 2026).
Dataset updated . Screening estimates derived from public data sources.
Substation attributes are derived from public HIFLD / EIA infrastructure data and may lag real-world upgrades or retirements. Voltage and connected-line counts are screening figures — confirm available capacity and interconnection terms directly with the operating utility and ISO.
Go deeper than the public screen
Every site and score for FORDS PRAIRIE substation, Washington is free to browse. Pro adds Watchtower on 25 sites, alerts when new candidate sites, datacenters or interconnection-queue requests appear in your markets, score and capacity history, and CSV export. Enterprise adds team seats, weekly data files for all 147,272 sites, the REST API and an MCP server for AI tools.