History
The Celilo Converter Station was originally configured with six groups of six-pulse mercury arc valves with a blocking voltage of 133 kV each (for a total of +/-400 kV) and a maximum current of 2,000 amperes.
In 1985 two six-pulse valve groups of thyristors were added in order to increase the voltage to 500 kV per pole for a total differential voltage of 1,000 kV.
In 1989 two new 1,100 ampere, 500 kV thyristor converters were added in parallel with the two existing converters, giving a total transmission power of 3,100 Megawatts (3,100 Amperes at +/-500 kV).
Until September 2001, the Celilo Converter Station was partially open to the public and included displays describing the history of DC transmission and the Pacific Intertie, but security concerns have closed this facility to the public.
In 2004, the mercury arc valves groups were replaced with light-triggered thyristor groups to eliminate the environmental risks of mercury and to reduce the maintenance costs of the obsolete mercury arc valves.
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