Hillsboro's power is reliable and affordable. Portland General Electric (PGE) provides electrical service to the region and has three high-reliability substations (Shute, Sunset, and West Union) in Hillsboro's industrial district, ensuring full redundancy at each level of the power network-from transmission lines to substation transformers and feeders. Industrial rates continue to fall below the national average.

Read about how PGE helped sustain Hillsboro’s role as an economic engine for Oregon.

PGE is the largest investor-owned utility in Oregon, and also owns major transmission rights to the Pacific Intertie—the West Coast electrical superhighway. These power exchange lines provide the flexibility to manage supplies and provide the lowest price possible to PGE customers.

PGE is also committed to clean energy, tapping a diverse mix of power resources that includes renewables like hydroelectric power, wind power and solar energy. PGE can also work with businesses one-on-one to plan energy-efficient facilities—from design to construction and operation.

Hillsboro is well-served by several national “last mile” telecommunications carriers providing fiber optic data, voice, and wireless internet service to meet any business need, including the needs of data-intensive companies like those involved in finance, media, e-commerce, healthcare, information technology and others.

It has the densest network of international and domestic cable in the Pacific Northwest.

• 38 carriers provide minimal latency domestically to all major US cities.
• Review the latest list of known fiber providers in Hillsboro*

*Please note that this list may not be complete or current.

Trans-Pacific Cables

Hillsboro is the center of six trans-Pacific cables, with four cables that land directly in Hillsboro (Tata TGN-Pacific, Southern Cross Cable, Hawaiki, NorthStar) supplying data connectivity and capacity between Asia, the Pacific Coast, and beyond.

The other two cables, Jupiter and New Cross Pacific (NCP), are backhauled to Hillsboro Brookwood Data Center for connectivity.

Cable Details 

1. The New Cross Pacific (NCP) submarine cable is a 13,000-km trans-Pacific system established by a consortium including China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Chunghwa Telecom, KT Corporation, Microsoft, and SoftBank Mobile Corp.
   
   Landing Points are Chongming, Lingang, Nanhui (China), Maruyama (Japan), Busan (South Korea), Toucheng (Taiwan), Pacific City, OR (US). Operational since 2019, the NCP marks Microsoft’s first investment in an international submarine cable system.
   
   
2. JUPITER, launched in 2020, spans approximately 14,000 km and connects the U.S. with Japan and the Philippines.
   
   The landing points include Maruyama, Shima (Japan), Daet (Philippines), Cloverdale, OR and Hermosa Beach, CA.  The terminal equipment for all of Jupiter’s fiber pairs in Oregon is housed at the Flexential Brookwood data center. The cable, developed by a consortium that includes Facebook, Amazon, NTT Communications, PCCW Global, PLDT, and SoftBank, provides the fastest transmission capacity globally at the time of its completion.
   
   
3. Tata TGN-Pacific submarine cable, built in 2002 and acquired by Tata Communications in 2005, spans approximately 22,300 km and connects the U.S. to Japan.
   
   It has landing points in Hillsboro, Los Angeles, Piti (Guam), and Emi and Toyohashi (Japan).
   
   
4. The Southern Cross Cable Network, owned by a consortium including Spark New Zealand, SingTel, and Verizon, was completed in 2000 and spans approximately 30,500 km.
   
   This network connects Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, and the U.S., with landing points in Sydney, Auckland, Suva, Honolulu, and Hillsboro. The cable system provides critical high-capacity connectivity between these countries and terminates in Hillsboro to enhance data exchange across the Pacific.
   
   
5. The Hawaiki submarine cable is a high-capacity fiber-optic cable system that connects Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa, Hawaii, and the U.S. The Singaporean company BW Digital acquired the cable in 2021.
   
   The cable spans approximately 15,000 km, with key landing points in Sydney (Australia), Mangawhai Heads (New Zealand), Tafuna (American Samoa), Oahu (Hawaii), and Pacific City, OR.
   
   
6. The NorthStar submarine cable, owned by Alaska Communications, connects Alaska to the Pacific Northwest. It is approximately 3,000 km in length, with key landing points in Hillsboro, OR, Lena Point, Valdez and Whittier, AK.

Availability of water is becoming a serious concern for other regions throughout the U.S. due to drought or limited supplies that are inadequate to accommodate future growth.

As a result, site selectors are increasingly considering water among the critical factors in their site selection decisions.

Hillsboro has plenty of water to meet current needs, and the City is in the process of taking additional steps to ensure water availability will not be a problem in the future.

The City, Tualatin Valley Water District and the City of Beaverton are partnering to design and build The Willamette Water Supply Program. The new system will draw water from the mid-Willamette River in Wilsonville, where a cutting-edge treatment plant will deliver high-quality drinking water. Designed to endure natural disasters, protect public health, and expediate recovery in emergencies, the system is poised to serve Washington County for generations to come. The system is scheduled for completion in 2026.

Quantity, quality, and reliability are of critical importance, particularly to industrial users who rely on water for critical manufacturing or operational processes. Hear from them firsthand in the video below.

Treatment, transmission and storage of potable water in Washington County is provided primarily by the Joint Water Commission (JWC), of which the City of Hillsboro and Tualatin Valley Water District are members. The JWC plant is the largest conventional water treatment plant in Oregon, and is capable of treating up to 85 million gallons per day.

City of Hillsboro/ Tualatin Valley Water District Service

• The City of Hillsboro Water Department provides water west of Cornelius Pass Road and south of Highway 26.
• The Tualatin Valley Water District provides water east of Cornelius Pass Road and north of Highway 26.

Wastewater

Clean Water Services cleans and recycles waste water, provides industrial pre-treatment, and manages surface and storm water systems.