June 24th, 2010
Feds says there’s potential for catastrophic failure; PacifiCorp calls them safe
By Erik Robinson
Columbian
Federal energy regulators are raising alarm about the potential for “catastrophic failure” of spillway gates on three major PacifiCorp-owned dams on the North Fork of the Lewis River. The concern arises from a 10-year inspection earlier this year by the investor-owned utility that was submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in late January. PacifiCorp and the federal agency declined to release the report itself, citing security concerns.
However, it did elicit a strong reaction from federal regulators. (more…)
Tags: FERC, PacifiCorp
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June 19th, 2010
By Joyce Edlefsen
Standard Journal
REXBURG – Rocky Mountain Power continues its preliminary work prior to starting the physical rebuilding of the Ashton Dam.
After a lengthy review of the condition of the dam by its own engineers, consultants and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the power company decided in February it would rebuild part of the dam.
Initially the company said the project was anticipated to take two years, but upon further analysis, the company has decided to try to complete the work by the end of 2012. (more…)
Tags: FERC, PacifiCorp, Rocky Mountain Power
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June 12th, 2010
Power managers divert flow to reservoirs, slow plant output and give power away
By Ted Sickinger
The Oregonian
Winter’s snow drought has given way to a temporary flood of late-spring runoff, forcing regional managers of the electrical grid to give away power, dial back generation at thermal plants and rapidly fill reservoirs to maintain acceptable conditions for migrating fish.
Robust water flows in the region’s rivers are typically a blessing, creating a bounty for electricity generation, irrigation, fish passage and recreation. Indeed, only a month ago, the Bonneville Power Administration was issuing dire warnings about summer water shortages. (more…)
Tags: Army Corps of Engineers, BPA, Portland General Electic
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June 9th, 2010
Work in high gear for upgrade, lowering of dam
By Seth Truscott
Snoqualmie Valley Record
Normally, the power generators at the Snoqualmie Falls hydroelectric plant run at a painful roar.
This summer, the machinery is silent for the first time in more than a century.
The silence is bittersweet for folks like Power Plant Manager Dave Magnuson, who has worked alongside mementos of history at the Puget Sound Energy-run site for two years.
“I never thought I’d forget that day,” he said when the generators 270 feet below the Falls were shut down. (more…)
Tags: Puget Sound Energy
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June 4th, 2010
More power will be generated from same amount of water via $120 million project
By Shannon Dininny
Daily Journal of Commerce
BRIDGEPORT Wash. —Workers are preparing to install a new 45-ton turbine at the second-largest producing dam in the United States, part of a multi-year upgrade that will generate power for an additional 30,000 Northwest homes.
The $120 million project at Chief Joseph Dam on the Columbia River is one of several planned around the country as the federal agencies that operate hydropower dams replace aging equipment and employ new technology to produce more power from the same amount of water.
In the Northwest, about one-third of the region’s low—cost electricity comes from hydropower dams, many of which were built decades ago and require upgrades. (more…)
Tags: American Rivers, Army Corps of Engineers, BPA
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June 3rd, 2010
By Staff
Odessa Record
As winds picked up May 12, the Bonneville Power Administration warned wind farms at 6:29 p.m. to prepare to shut down the wind turbines in four minutes. The turbines were generating about 600 megawatts more power than expected. The power system could not absorb any more.
For the first time, though, wind farms used a new mechanism BPA designed with wind operators and utilities to escape such a shutdown. They sold 330 megawatts of the unexpected energy for the following half hour. That simple step delivered more wind power to regional customers, earned them more revenue and quickly eased pressure on the power system. (more…)
Tags: BPA
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May 23rd, 2010
The revolution happening along the Columbia River is full of promise. But wind power is fickle, and keeping our energy system running smoothly has become “the great economic and engineering challenge of our time.”
By Hal Bernton
Seattle Times
CENTERVILLE, Klickitat County — Along the ridge-top flanks of the Columbia River, hundreds upon hundreds of wind turbines rise from wheat fields and sagebrush.
On a blustery spring day, these turbines can crank out more than twice the power of the Northwest’s sole nuclear power plant. Then, on hot days in the summer, when the winds go still, the output plunges.
The turbines represent perhaps the most dramatic change to the regional power-supply system since the construction of the Bonneville Dam launched the era of federal power. (more…)
Tags: BPA, Puget Sound Energy
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May 16th, 2010
By Sean Ellis
Idaho State Journal
The extremely poor snowpack levels in Idaho this winter could have a significant impact on power prices down the road.
“There won’t be an impact his year, but there might be an impact next year,” says Gene Fadness, a spokesman for the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.
Snowpack is the fuel that generates hydropower and helps keep electricity rates in the Pacific Northwest among the cheapest in the nation. While it doesn’t appear power prices in the Northwest will rise in the near-term due to poor snow year, they could the following year. (more…)
Tags: BPA, Idahop Power, PCA surcharge
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May 13th, 2010
By Staff
Wahkiakum Co. Eagle
The Bonneville Power Administration now estimates it will likely finish the fiscal year with negative net revenues of approximately $230 million. This shortfall was reported in BPA’s second quarterly review published April 30 and is a direct result of the Northwest’s low snowpack. Reduced streamflows have resulted in $450 million less revenue than BPA anticipated at the beginning of the fiscal year. (more…)
Tags: BPA
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May 13th, 2010
Hefty turbine runner requires police escort as it crosses continent
Submitted by Bonneville Power Administration
Brewster Quad-City Herald
A major new, 45-ton piece of a hydroelectric turbine last week began a 2,720-mile journey to the Chief Joseph Dam, where it will boost the renewable power generated by the Columbia River.
The turbine runner manufactured by Alstom Hydro under contract with the Corps requires a police escort in some areas, since it measures more than eight feet high and 16 feet in diameter. Its route from Alstom’s manufacturing facility in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, Canada, was determined in part by weight limitations of roads and highways. (more…)
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