| North America
Left: Flood waters rise against the levees in New Orleans, Louisiana. The US Army Corps of Engineers has asked for feedback on its first-ever safety guidelines on levees
also focused on creating storage space in the lower Columbia projects so upstream projects could increase generation without increasing flows below Bonneville needed to protect Endangered Species Act-listed salmon. This led to about 525MW of extra generation, while BPA also worked with Canada to release extra water from Canadian storage reservoirs which provided an additional 600MW. The lower Snake River dams also made major contributions to BPA’s efforts to keep the lights on during the cold snap. Combined, Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor dams peaked to more than 1000MW each day, with the highest one-hour peak at 1146MW. This was accomplished by reducing generation late at night into the early morning hours to less than 200MW and ramping to over 1100MW during the peak daytime hours. In addition to peaking performance, Ice Harbor Dam provided much needed local energy in the Tri-Cities area by increasing minimum generation throughout the extreme weather event. BPA added that the lower Snake River dams
also registered an impressive, 18-hour sustained peak during the cold snap, where a sustained peak measures the highest six hours per day of generation over a three-day period.
Opposition US Senator Jim Risch of Idaho has doubled down in
his opposition to breaching and removal of federal dams on the Columbia-Snake River System, saying that plans have “completely excluded Idahoans who rely on the river system for its energy, transportation, agriculture, and recreation benefits. I will continue to fight any breaching efforts,” he commented. Following four years of comprehensive scientific study of the Columbia River System Operations, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration released a record of decision in September 2020 affirming the four dams’ critical importance to the region. Risch says that the Ice Harbor Dam, Lower Monumental Little Goose and Lower Granite Dams provide multiple benefits to Idaho and the region, including: Transportation of more than 15 million metric tons of wheat in 2020 with nearly 10% of all US wheat moving out on the Snake River alone. US$686 million in jobs and businesses associated
with Idaho’s Port of Lewiston, the furthest inland port on the West Coast. A 95% emission-free power portfolio generated by BPA, allowing small public utilities across the Northwest to lead in clean energy production. Clean, always-on energy that can uniquely keep the lights on during extreme weather events where relying on wind and solar would cause blackouts. Irrigation.
In February 2024, Risch went on to insist the Department of Energy addresses the financial burden breaching the lower Snake River dams would have on Idahoans who benefit from the power generated. He says that the analyses of cost implications of breaching the four dams have so far been “incomprehensive”, and “even conservative estimates have recognised the costs would be staggering”.
Risch was joined by four other US Senators who
represent Wyoming, Montanna and Idaho in sending an open letter to Jennifer Granholm, Secretary at the Department of Energy. “The economic burden on northwest public power utilities and ratepayers is unjustifiable. This says nothing for growing demand for more electricity at all times and the need for reliability,” the senators wrote. They added that such plans will threaten the future of hydropower and are not consistent with Granholm’s previous assertion that “we should be expanding and not reducing” hydropower. As the four Lower Snake River dams have a nameplate capacity of 3000MW and often supply up to a quarter of the reserve capacity BPA needs to balance the entire power system, the senators added that the loss of this would have dire consequences for the citizens in the Northwest. “With an expected 25% electric demand growth in
the region, we should be exploring opportunities to expand generation capacity, not dimmish our most reliable resources,” they commented.
200th anniversary The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has
commemorated the 200th anniversary of its Civil Works programme, “something that makes USACE unique among the world’s military organisations,” Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon said. “Our abilities to cohesively perform military, civil, and research and development missions have enabled us to take on and find
www.waterpowermagazine.com | June 2024 | 17
Below: The US Army Corps of Engineers has recently celebrated the 200th anniversary of its civil works programme © Gil C /
Shutterstock.com
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