April 20, 2005: Drought In Northwest Threatens Hydropower Production
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Bonneville Power Administration, regional utilities, and public interest groups have asked Northwest residents to help combat the effects of a dry winter by efficiently using electricity this spring and summer.
Another winter of low precipitation makes six in a row - the lowest cumulative runoff on record, meteorologists report. Barring unscheduled plant outages or other unforeseen circumstances, the region's utilities still expect to have enough electrical generating capability to meet demand. The primary effects will be financial. Low precipitation is reducing hydro system performance for utilities and suppliers in the region, which increases power purchases from other, more costly sources. Low water in rivers is also shrinking expected surplus sales revenues. All of this puts upward pressure on rates.