UNITED STATES — Mid-January storms and cold weather in the Pacific Northwest put heavy demands on the Lower Valley Energy (LVE) power grid, and LVE says Snake River dams assisted in keeping the lights on.
The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is the federal provider for LVE, and the system networks across 300,000 square miles in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, California and Wyoming. The federal hydropower system is the Pacific Northwest’s biggest source of carbon- free, reliable energy, according to the BPA.
“The majority of BPA’s generation (80%+) comes from hydropower, derived from the dams in the Columbia River drainage,” Brian Tanabe, Communications Manager for Lower Valley Energy in Jackson, told Buckrail via email. “Because of the Snake River, we are the furthest utility east who can buy this extremely low federal power.”
Extreme cold weather can impact power plants, and its supporting hydraulic lines, turbines and electromechanical equipment, according to the Department of Energy.
According to BPA, this past January, the Northwest region suffered through the “most intense cold snap seen 20 years.”
BPA reported the system peaking at 11,396 megawatt hours – with the previous high being in 1990. The colder-than-normal temperatures shut down many parts of the Northwest and caused higher than normal energy use. Ice and tree damage affected roadways and power delivery.
BPA attributed the lower Snake River dams as a “major contributor” in keeping power working for communities during the cold snap.
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in the 1960s and early 1970s, the federal government built four large dams on the Snake River: Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Walla Walla District owns and operates the four lower Snake River dams, all of which are multiple-use facilities that provide navigation, hydropower, recreation and fish and wildlife conservation benefits.
“Dams are the backbone of the Northwest grid and very important to Lower Valley,” Lower Valley Energy President/CEO Jim Webb said via press release. “Without them, the grid could have collapsed during the January cold spell. Without them, we could not support the wind and solar projects being built in the region.”
