Massive hydro system supplies economical power to SMUD customers
The Upper American River Project is a large hydroelectric development composed of 11 dams and eight powerhouses along streams and rivers within the American River basin. The project also includes about 180 miles of lines that transmit electricity from the project powerhouses into Sacramento County.
Owned and operated by Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the hydroelectric facilities lie within El Dorado and Sacramento counties on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. The "Stairway of Power" drops one mile in elevation over 53 miles of river, including portions of the Rubicon River, Silver Creek and South Fork American river watersheds.
The primary value of the UARP to SMUD lies in the project's ability to provide economical power generation, operational flexibility and system reliability to its customer-owners. With a total installed capacity of 688 MW and a total gross reservoir storage capacity of more than 400,000 acre-feet, the UARP provides about 20 percent of SMUD's customer demand during peak load hours.
In 1957, the Federal Power Commission—predecessor to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission—granted a 50-year license to SMUD to build and operate the UARP. SMUD is currently proposing to include the Iowa Hill Pumped Storage Development in the FERC relicensing of the UARP.
