Advocating for Hydropower

In February, a judge ordered increased water spills at eight federal dams on the lower Columbia and Snake rivers. This mandate resulted from litigation supported by the state of Oregon, among others.

Gov. Tina Kotek has said it will have “modest impacts” on power generation.

The controlled release of water through dam spillways directly reduces hydroelectric power generation by bypassing turbines. Preliminary assessments indicate this new mandate will lead to a 6% increase in wholesale power costs. Adding to the rate hikes over the last 12 months, that’s a 17% increase in power for Oregonians.

That is far from modest.

Wholesale power costs directly affect consumer utilities. An increase of this magnitude would lead to a rate increase for Lane Electric members. Most, if not all, utilities in the state would similarly be forced to pass increases onto their customers.

In March, I joined 35 utility leaders across Oregon in writing a letter to Gov. Kotek seeking direct engagement with her office to discuss the implications of these changes to the Federal Columbia River Power System.

The federal hydropower system is critical to maintaining grid stability across the Pacific Northwest, especially during periods of high demand. Reducing that flexibility by increasing spill levels could limit the ability to respond to extreme weather events such as the cold snap we experienced in February and summer heat waves.

As a united group, Oregon utilities request direct engagement with the governor’s office to discuss these concerns and the Pacific Northwest’s power future.

I’ll keep you posted as we continue to put pressure on this issue on behalf of you, our member-owners.

General Manager Scott Coe