PacifiCorp owns and operates 50 hydroelectric plants and serves as the operator for two additional hydroelectric projects. PacifiCorp's hydro projects have an installed capacity of about 1,073 megawatts (MW), which represents nearly 11 percent of the company's annual power generation.

 

Hydroelectric projects generally operate under licenses issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). A hydroelectric license prescribes operations and safety precautions, as well as environmental protection, mitigation and enhancements.

 

The FERC has recently issued new licenses for several of PacifiCorp's hydropower developments in Oregon, Utah, Idaho and Montana. The license periods range in length from 30 - 50 years. A license order typically contains the following; a description of the project works licensed; a description of the project operation; environmental conditions; engineering conditions; and compliance conditions. Once FERC issues a new license for a project, PacifiCorp must comply with the terms and conditions of the license. Often, during the first several years (5 - 15 years) of a new license, PacifiCorp may be required to construct new facilities such as fish ladders or screens, or implement environmental enhancement measures for fish or terrestrial species. Additionally, new operational requirements are often instituted during this time, such as ramping restrictions or increased instream flow requirements. After this period of project modifications and operational changes is complete, the hydropower system will operate in a more routine manner, according to the terms of the new license.

 

PacifiCorp received new licenses for the 188 MW North Umpqua Project (Oregon), the 85 MW Bear River Project (Utah), and the 4.15 MW Bigfork Project (Montana).

 

In each case, PacifiCorp operates under and implements the new license conditions in consultation with Federal resource agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as the State resource agencies in each respective state.