Potelco, Inc

05/26/2026

Today we pause. Not just to enjoy the long weekend, but to remember the names, the faces, and the sacrifices that made every freedom we hold dear possible.

Memorial Day is a debt we can never fully repay. It belongs to those who gave everything, and to the families who have carried that loss every day since. We think of them today and every day.

To those who never came home, thank you. You are not forgotten. You never will be.

Remember. Honor. Never forget.

05/15/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and while the timing is fitting, what we are announcing today goes well beyond this month. Potelco and InfraSource Services are taking action as part of the MATES North America Pilot program through Quanta Services, Inc., a long term commitment to bringing peer-based mental health support to the trades. One in five construction workers will experience a mental health challenge this year, and far too many face it alone. MATES was built from the ground up for workers like ours, and we are proud to be part of bringing it to our crews. Mental health is a safety issue, and we are treating it like one.

05/11/2026

Nine WSU Pullman engineering students traded their spring break for hard hats. We think that's a pretty good trade.

From March 16-20, Potelco and Puget Sound Energy hosted the 2026 Power Practicum through WSU's Energy Systems Innovation Center. Students spent the week embedded in real utility operations, including substation tours, hydroelectric facilities, protection engineering, and hands-on transmission and distribution work. They even wired transformers in delta and wye configurations under professional supervision.

The week covered everything from AI in power engineering to fault analysis to pole setting. One student put it well: "Energy and electricity are truly the backbone of society." Another arrived planning a career in consulting and left seriously reconsidering.

That kind of shift is exactly why we do this.

A huge thank you to our Potelco team, Shamish P., Tim B., Laurel M., Jeanette S., Glen K., and to our partners at PSE: Jenny B., Brady K., and Kishan M.. And of course, to the nine students who showed up and put in the work.

Keeping the lights on tomorrow starts with investing in people today.

05/08/2026

Construction accounts for 1 in 5 worker fatalities in the United States. That number is exactly why we don't treat safety as a formality.

We work within The Capacity Model, Quanta Services, Inc. approach to identifying and controlling the hazards that can seriously injure or kill someone before a job ever starts. Through STKY conversations, our crews talk openly about what can go wrong and what controls need to be in place when it does.

Because the goal is simple: everyone goes home.

04/15/2026

A landslide took out two transmission lines on Stampede Pass supporting Puget Sound Energy’s transmission system. A 115kV and a 230kV, both gone. We had crews mobilized and on the ground fast.
Over 17 days, civil and power crews worked mostly simultaneously to fully replace 5 115kV structures and 8 230kV structures, complete with full reconductor on both lines. Single lane access in and out of the job site meant long waits and constant coordination, thank you to Neals Flagging Service. Easter weekend came and went with our crews still on the mountain, away from their families, focused on the work.
A sincere thank you to our Potelco civil crews who handled all the detailed work tied directly to the structures, and to Thayer Excavating out of Ellensburg for the outstanding partnership on the heavy earthwork and timber removal. Both teams were essential to keeping this job on schedule.
PSE designed redundancy into their transmission system to protect customers during exactly this kind of event, and customers never lost power throughout the duration. Our role was to make sure the physical infrastructure behind that resilience was fully restored and built to last. Proud of this team from top to bottom.

Quanta Services, Inc.

04/15/2026

Work like this is why we love what we do! Restoring critical infrastructure no matter the terrain is a challenge we welcome every time. Great partnering with your team to keep the lights on! 💪⚡

A huge shoutout to our field teams and many partners, including Potelco, Inc, Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission, U.S. Forest Service, and BNSF Railway, for all their work to repair two transmission lines that were wiped out by a large slope failure near Snoqualmie Pass.

This was a complex project in difficult, hard-to-access terrain. Despite extensive damage to the transmission structures, customers never lost power thanks to redundant high-voltage connections built into the system.

With a safety-first mindset throughout the project, work is now complete, and the transmission lines are back in service.

04/05/2026

We're grateful for the hardworking Potelco team that keeps communities powered every day. Wishing you and yours a safe, bright, and restful Easter weekend. 🌷⚡

03/13/2026

Potelco has had 40+ crews responding since Thursday night to support power restoration across Washington.

Crews were nearly done when this latest round of lowland snow pushed outages back up again. Our teams will keep working through the weekend to help Puget Sound Energy restore power safely and quickly.

Thank you to all the crews working long hours in tough conditions.

02/28/2026

This is our final Engineering Week feature, and we are proud to spotlight the teams who help keep our grid and communications infrastructure working safely together.

Potelco’s JFN and Joint Use teams work closely with Puget Sound Energy and Avista to help third party telecom licensees safely install, replace, and maintain communications lines on electric utility poles. For Puget Sound Energy, we support customers such as Comcast, Lumen, Ziply, and Verizon by gathering field information, building engineering plans, and coordinating the steps needed to correct issues and keep attachments compliant. Our work also includes distribution and transmission pole replacements to support wireless sites for carriers like Verizon, T Mobile, and AT and T. In Spokane, our Joint Use group represents Avista with its telecom licensees by reviewing proposed work designs and coordinating any required electric utility work. From requesting traffic control plans and securing permits across multiple jurisdictions to assembling the documentation our civil and line crews need, we help ensure the work is executed safely, efficiently, and on schedule.

11/27/2025

As we head into Thanksgiving, we’re reminded of how much our work depends on the people who show up every day with commitment and heart. To our teams working early mornings, late nights, and everything in between - thank you for the pride you bring to your craft. We’re grateful for you today and every day. Thank you for the care you put into your work and into each other. Enjoy a well deserved holiday with those who matter most.