Pumped-storage Hydropower Projects Blossom in Pacific Northwest, with Seven Valued at $10 Billion

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Pumped-storage hydropower in the Pacific Northwest region is developing rapidly, and seven projects valued at more than $10 billion are moving forward through their early development stages, such as environmental impact studies, economic evaluation and preliminary design. The projects could begin construction as early as 2014, according to Industrial Info's North American Power Project Database.

The Klickitat County Public Utilities District (Goldendale, Washington) recently announced another large pumped-storage project of 1,200 megawatts (MW) in the state, using surplus wind power to pump the stored water from the lower to the upper reservoir, and release the water during peak load times to produce renewable power.

Pumped-storage hydropower projects store energy in the form of water in an upper storage reservoir and release it to a lower storage reservoir during peak demand periods to run turbine generators and generate electricity. During off-peak hours, the pumps reverse to refill the upper reservoir, or in some cases, as with Klickitat County, use existing wind power generation to provide electricity to the pumps in order to refill the upper reservoir.

Industrial Info Resources is tracking seven pumped-storage projects in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, which would produce 5,925 MW of power. An additional 1,200 MW is being proposed in the region. This stored renewable power would go a long way in meeting the electrical needs of the region, as well as meeting the U.S. renewable energy goals and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.