West Linn Waterfront Redevelopment

Nearly 125 years ago, the Station B Power Plant began generating power at the Willamette Falls, the home of the first long-distance transmission of electricity in the United States.

Later renamed after T.W. Sullivan, this certified low-impact hydro facility is the third-oldest hydropower plant in the country and PGE’s oldest generation facility, powering roughly 11,000 homes every year.

In 2017, the City of West Linn began creating a master plan for the future of the Willamette River waterfront. In 2018, the West Linn Paper Company closed. A complex set of structures known as Mill A had not been used or maintained in over 30 years. PGE took control of the paper mill buildings in 2018 and began assessing conditions, including in Mill A. More information about the assessments and findings is available in the updates here .

In 2019, the Willamette Falls Paper Company restarted the paper mill as PGE partnered with the City to learn the public’s priorities, vision and values for the future of PGE’s property — about 100 acres — in the middle of this waterfront, to help inform the long-term planning process. Our learnings from the public’s feedback is in our comprehensive report .

In late 2021, PGE engaged stakeholders and the community to share information about urgent hazards and conditions at Mill A, and for input about historic preservation priorities, given the area’s historic significance. We appreciate the invaluable feedback and ideas from participants about ways to preserve Mill A’s history as we address the structural, environmental and biological hazards throughout the complex. This comprehensive report captures the process and our learnings.

For the sake of safety and to protect the environment, PGE is moving forward with planning to remove the Mill A structures above the top of the Willamette Falls dam. Through planning, we’ll determine what historic equipment and artifacts can be preserved in place, and what must be removed and relocated. We will share those details with the State Historic Preservation Office and stakeholders through a process outlined by the National Historic Preservation Act to develop an agreement that will memorialize PGE’s historic preservation plan for Mill A. PGE is committed to making Mill A’s history available and accessible to future generations.

Please sign up for news and updates on this project. You can also read the latest updates , including more information about Mill A.