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Released March 27, 2024 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Hydropower generation in the western U.S., which includes Washington, Oregon and California, among other states, fell to its lowest level since at least 2001, according the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Preliminary data from the EIA show hydropower generation in the western U.S., which also includes Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, dropped by 11% during the 2022-2023 water year (October 1 through September 30) from the previous water year. The agency said the region produced 60% of the country's hydropower last water year.
A combined 37% of total U.S. hydropower capacity is located in Washington and Oregon, according to the agency. In the 2022-23 water year, Washington was home to 23% less hydropower than the water year before, and hydropower generation in Oregon also fell by more than 20%, as "drought conditions last year affected these states and other states around the Columbia River Basin."
The EIA does note hydropower generation in the region can "vary significantly from year to year because the amount of precipitation influences generation."
Precipitation mostly accumulates in the fall and winter as snow forms at higher elevations, and snowpack accumulated during the winter serves as natural water storage that starts to melt in the springtime as temperatures gradually increase, the EIA says. According to the agency, during the fall and winter of 2022 into 2023, precipitation in the region was near-to-below normal, and in May of last year, a heat wave affected the western U.S. region, melting the snowpack rapidly.
But even with the recent drop in hydropower generation, Industrial Info is tracking $2 billion worth of hydropower projects under construction in the U.S., about half of which is attributed to updating existing facilities in Washington. Hydropower projects often take years to complete.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for a full list of related project reports.
Chelan County Public Utility District is performing motor control replacements at its Rock Island Hydro Power Station in Rock Island, Washington, on the Columbia River, near the geographical center of the state. The county is replacing eight, 52-megawatt (MW) turbines to improve operations, reliability and efficiency. The project is set to be completed in 2030. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report.
Meanwhile, the Grant County Public Utility District (Moses Lake, Washington) is at work on three projects at the Priest Rapids Hydropower Station in south-central Washington, also along the Columbia River. The projects entail replacing the existing governor controls on all 10 of the units, each rated at 95.5 MW, as well as replacing their turbines and generators. After kicking off in 2016, the three projects all are expected to wrap up by mid-2027. Subscribers can click here to see the related project reports.
But one state in the western U.S., California, saw hydropower generation grow last year, according to the EIA. The agency noted data from the California Department of Water Resources show last winter's snowpack in the state was higher than any other reading since records began in the mid-1980s. California hydropower generation in the 2022-23 water year nearly doubled compared with the previous water year, according to the EIA.
The rewinding of the two, 150-MW General Electric (NYSE:GE) (Boston, Massachusetts) turbines at the 300-MW New Melones Hydro Power Station in California is underway. The project, which is expected to wrap up in early 2025, also includes performing routine maintenance and inspection of the rotors and auxiliary equipment. The hydro plant is operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Click here to read the project report.
Elsewhere in the U.S., the New York Power Authority (NYPA), which is the largest state public power utility in the country, is performing a $134 million upgrade to the Robert H. Moses Hydro Station in Lewiston, New York. The project, which has been underway since late 2011, involves installing automation systems for control facilities and replacing outdated mechanical components, among other work. Completion is expected in late 2029. Click here for the project report.
With a medium probability (70-80%) of moving forward as planned, NYPA aims to kick off a $650 million project that entails modernizing the hydro station in April, which entails replacing all of its turbines (13), each rated at 194 MW. Click here to read more information.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
Preliminary data from the EIA show hydropower generation in the western U.S., which also includes Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, dropped by 11% during the 2022-2023 water year (October 1 through September 30) from the previous water year. The agency said the region produced 60% of the country's hydropower last water year.
A combined 37% of total U.S. hydropower capacity is located in Washington and Oregon, according to the agency. In the 2022-23 water year, Washington was home to 23% less hydropower than the water year before, and hydropower generation in Oregon also fell by more than 20%, as "drought conditions last year affected these states and other states around the Columbia River Basin."
The EIA does note hydropower generation in the region can "vary significantly from year to year because the amount of precipitation influences generation."
Precipitation mostly accumulates in the fall and winter as snow forms at higher elevations, and snowpack accumulated during the winter serves as natural water storage that starts to melt in the springtime as temperatures gradually increase, the EIA says. According to the agency, during the fall and winter of 2022 into 2023, precipitation in the region was near-to-below normal, and in May of last year, a heat wave affected the western U.S. region, melting the snowpack rapidly.
But even with the recent drop in hydropower generation, Industrial Info is tracking $2 billion worth of hydropower projects under construction in the U.S., about half of which is attributed to updating existing facilities in Washington. Hydropower projects often take years to complete.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for a full list of related project reports.
Chelan County Public Utility District is performing motor control replacements at its Rock Island Hydro Power Station in Rock Island, Washington, on the Columbia River, near the geographical center of the state. The county is replacing eight, 52-megawatt (MW) turbines to improve operations, reliability and efficiency. The project is set to be completed in 2030. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report.
Meanwhile, the Grant County Public Utility District (Moses Lake, Washington) is at work on three projects at the Priest Rapids Hydropower Station in south-central Washington, also along the Columbia River. The projects entail replacing the existing governor controls on all 10 of the units, each rated at 95.5 MW, as well as replacing their turbines and generators. After kicking off in 2016, the three projects all are expected to wrap up by mid-2027. Subscribers can click here to see the related project reports.
But one state in the western U.S., California, saw hydropower generation grow last year, according to the EIA. The agency noted data from the California Department of Water Resources show last winter's snowpack in the state was higher than any other reading since records began in the mid-1980s. California hydropower generation in the 2022-23 water year nearly doubled compared with the previous water year, according to the EIA.
The rewinding of the two, 150-MW General Electric (NYSE:GE) (Boston, Massachusetts) turbines at the 300-MW New Melones Hydro Power Station in California is underway. The project, which is expected to wrap up in early 2025, also includes performing routine maintenance and inspection of the rotors and auxiliary equipment. The hydro plant is operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Click here to read the project report.
Elsewhere in the U.S., the New York Power Authority (NYPA), which is the largest state public power utility in the country, is performing a $134 million upgrade to the Robert H. Moses Hydro Station in Lewiston, New York. The project, which has been underway since late 2011, involves installing automation systems for control facilities and replacing outdated mechanical components, among other work. Completion is expected in late 2029. Click here for the project report.
With a medium probability (70-80%) of moving forward as planned, NYPA aims to kick off a $650 million project that entails modernizing the hydro station in April, which entails replacing all of its turbines (13), each rated at 194 MW. Click here to read more information.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
