Droughts Threaten 2014 Hydro Production
Posted on Feb 11, 2014 in Climate Change, Environmental, Reliability | Comments Off on Droughts Threaten 2014 Hydro Production
Total water flow to the Northwest river system is now the 11th lowest total since recordkeeping started in 1960. This lingering drought in the West is causing a decreased output of hydro production and is likely to persist or intensify through the end of April in parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California and Nevada. In those states, electric coops rely heavily on hydropower. Without expected amounts of hydro, wholesale power prices may be increasingly determined by the cost of natural gas-fueled generation in the region, and the region will be on high alert for reliability. Read more here.
