California Shuts Down Major Hydropower Plant Due to Drought
August 6, 2021
The Edward Hyatt hydroelectric power plant at Lake Oroville, California, was ordered to shut down yesterday for the first time since it opened in 1967 after the reservoir reached record low water supply levels. Lake Oroville is California’s second-largest reservoir.
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Via electrek.co:
When it’s working, the Hyatt, the fourth-largest hydropower plant in the state, is able to generate up to 750 megawatts of electricity, which is enough power for around 500,000 homes, although it usually generates around 400 megawatts.
But Lake Oroville is currently only 24% full, or 34% of the historical average for August 5.
For reference, here is a photo of the Enterprise Bridge with levels at near full pool. pic.twitter.com/lPlnkYFvzi
— Justin Sullivan (@sullyfoto) July 23, 2021
Drought conditions in California have reduced hydropower capacity by approximately 1,000 megawatts overall due to depleted reservoirs, according to a June 29 letter from the heads of the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission to the head of the California Independent System Operator.
California Department of Water Resources (DWR) director Karla Nemeth released the following statement yesterday:
DWR State Water Project operations managers have taken the Hyatt Powerplant at Lake Oroville offline due to falling lake levels. This is the first time Hyatt Powerplant has gone offline as a result of low lake levels. However, DWR anticipated this moment, and the state has planned for its loss in both water and grid management…
…This is just one of many unprecedented impacts we are experiencing in California as a result of our climate-induced drought. California and much of the western part of the United States are experiencing the impacts of accelerated climate change including record-low reservoir levels due to dramatically reduced runoff this spring.
California usually sources around 15% of its electricity from hydropower.
The announcement of the power plant shutdown comes the same week state regulators voted to restrict water access to farmers.
The DWR is calling on California residents to reduce water use by 15% but doesn’t indicate in its statement how that reduction should be quantified.
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