If you've read our blog, you know that the Water Bureau built a 267 Kilowatt solar array at its Groundwater facility, which is the Northwest's largest solar array. But many people don't know that the Portland Water Bureau also generates a substantial amount of power with two hydroelectric generation facilities located at Dam #1 and Dam #2 in the City's Bull Run Watershed.
In 1979, the City initiated the Portland Hydropower Project, which is managed by the Bureau of Hydroelectric Power (a subsidiary of the Portland Water Bureau) and construction was completed in 1982. Since then, the dams have generated an average of 75,000 Megawatts each year, and Portland General Electric pays the City millions of dollars each year for this power, which covers the debt on the powerhouses and adds discretionary resources that support basic City services like Police, Fire and Parks.
The City and PGE account for power by "contract year," which begins each September and ends the following August. For contract year 2008/2009, the two hydroelectric facilities generated 89,487 Megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power approximately 8,000 average households for a year!
For reference:
1 Megawatt = 1000 Kilowatts
1 Kilowatt = 1000 Watts
For additional information, here are some helpful documents:
Hydropower Division Description
Portland Hydropower Project facility #1 Gross Generation by Contract Year
Portland Hydropower Project #2 Gross Generation by Contract Year
Posted by: TK