Our Hydropower System

Eighty percent of the electricity we sell to our customers comes from clean, renewable hydropower. 

Hydropower is a low-cost, reliable resource that provides valuable economic and environmental benefits to the Northwest.  Your Board of Directors has signed a resolution in support of our region's hydropower system.

Hydropower is renewable energy

Hydropower is a renewable resource that has been used to provide, clean, green power for decades.  Hydropower generation doesn't contribute to global warming, making it an excellent alternative to generation methods that burn fossil fuels like coal or natural gas.  

Hydropower supports renewable energy development

Hydropower is essential for the development of wind and solar power.  The hydro system supports wind and solar by ensuring that there's electricity when the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining.  The 31 hydropower dams in the Northwest can generate power more quickly and reliably than any other energy resource.

Hydropower provides regional benefits

The hydropower system provides critical benefits to our region including power, river transportation, irrigation, recreation, flood control and fish and wildlife conservation. Here are some important facts about the contributions of the hydropower system in the Northwest:

• Over 60% of the Northwest's electricity comes from clean, renewable hydro power, which does not contribute to climate change.
• The hydro system helps support the development of new renewable resources like wind and solar power.
• Northwest dams support river transportation keeping 700,000 trucks off highways annually.
• Irrigation supported by northwest dams contributes to a $60 billion agriculture industry annually.
• Revenues from electricity sales provide direct investments of over $350 million annually to support the fish and wildlife restoration projects.

Show your support for hydropower

Northwest RiverPartners is a partnership of farmers, electric utilities and large and small businesses in the Pacific Northwest, joined together to ensure that the Columbia and Snake rivers remain living, working rivers.  You can show your support for their efforts and for the hyropower system by joining the Green Dams, Blue Skies campaign.

Learn more about the hydropower system

To learn more about the Federal Columbia River Power System, visit Bonneville Power Administration's  website, which includes maps and descriptions for all 31 hydropower projects on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.