Power Projects

Western Area Power Administrations’ hydropower resources are produced at Federal dams in 11 states.

Boulder Canyon

Since the start of commercial power generation in 1936, Hoover, with yearly average generation of 4 .2 billion kilowatt-hours, has served the annual electrical needs of nearly 1 .3 million people . On Dec . 20, 2011, the Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011 was enacted by Congress, providing direction and guidance in the allocation of BCP power from Oct . 1, 2017, to Sept . 30, 2067 . WAPA markets this power to public utilities in Arizona, California and Nevada.

Central Valley Project

Central Valley Project in California’s Central Valley was authorized in 1937 . WAPA’s Sierra Nevada region markets generation from 11 powerplants, consisting of 38 hydroelectric generating units . The generating units have an installed capacity of 2,134 megawatts . Under WAPA’s Sierra Nevada 2004 Power Marketing Plan, SN markets the CVP, the Northern portion of the Pacific Northwest Pacific Southwest Intertie and Washoe Project through Dec . 31, 2024 . The CVP includes 1,362 circuit miles of high-voltage transmission lines and transmission lines from the northern portion of the Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest Intertie.

Loveland Area Projects

WAPA’s Post-1989 Power Marketing Plan, administered by the Rocky Mountain region, operationally and contractually integrates the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, commonly referred to as Fry-Ark, and the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program—Western Division as the Loveland Area Projects for marketing and rate-setting purposes. The projects serve Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming.

Parker-Davis Project

The Parker-Davis Project was formed by consolidating two projects, Parker Dam and Davis Dam, under terms of the Consolidate Parker Dam Power Project and Davis Dam Project Act on May 28, 1954. The Parker-Davis Project is currently marketed to 35 customers in southern Nevada, Arizona and Southern California, and it supplies the electrical needs of more than 300,000 people . The project includes more than 1,500 circuit-miles of high-voltage transmission lines in Arizona, southern Nevada and along the Colorado River in Southern California .

Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin–Eastern Division

Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, originally the Missouri River Basin Project, was authorized by Congress in the Flood Control Act of 1944 . The multipurpose program provides authorization for construction of certain public works and improvements on rivers and harbors for flood control, navigation, generation of hydropower, resources for water supply and irrigation, preservation of water quality, creation of recreation opportunities and enhancement of fish and wildlife. Pick-Sloan power is marketed by two WAPA regions: The Upper Great Plains region markets the Eastern Division and the Rocky Mountain region markets the Western Division through the Loveland Area Projects .

Salt Lake City Area/Integrated Projects

Power generated at the Colorado River Storage Project and from the Collbran and Rio Grande projects was combined into the Salt Lake City Area/Integrated Projects on Oct . 1, 1987 and is marketed under the Post-2004 General Power Marketing and Allocation Criteria . SLCA/IP’s 2022 net generation was 3 .5 billion kilowatt-hours, or about 36% lower than average net generation . Average net generation for the integrated projects since 1992 is about 5 .4 billion kWh

Other Projects

Central Arizona Project

The Central Arizona Project (CAP) is one of three related water development projects that make up the Colorado River Basin Project. Congress authorized CAP in 1968 to improve water resources in the Colorado River Basin. CAP transmission facilities include a 230-kilovolt (kV) line that begins at McCullough Substation in Nevada and interconnects to the Davis and Parker substations in Arizona. CAP has capacity rights in the transmission line from Parker to Liberty substations in Arizona. CAP also includes 230-kV lines east of Phoenix, Arizona, and several 115-kV lines that feed pumping stations near Salome and Tucson, Arizona. Although not included in the rate set by WAPA, CAP also includes the federal share of capacity in the 500-kV lines of the Navajo Southern Transmission System and the Navajo Western Transmission System.

Electrical District 5-to-Palo Verde Hub Project

The Electrical District 5-to-Palo Verde Hub 230-kilovolt transmission line, completed under WAPA’s Transmission Infrastructure Program, began commercial operation Jan . 10, 2015, after energization of the final transformer at the Electrical District 5 Substation. ED5-to-Palo Verde directly helps 18 communities and tribes. It also increases transmission capacity to deliver renewable energy to consumers in Arizona, southern Nevada and Southern California, adding enough capacity to power 30,000 homes. The 109-mile transmission line provides 264 megawatts of transmission capacity. It connects a renewable-rich zone south of Phoenix, Arizona, with the Palo Verde market hub, a major electrical trading hub in the western United States.

Falcon-Amistad Project

This project consists of two dams on the Rio Grande River between Texas and Mexico. The United States and Mexico share and operate separate powerplants on each side of the Rio Grande River. The State Department’s International Boundary and Water Commission operates the U.S. portion of the projects. The combined capacity of the powerplants is evenly divided between the two nations, providing WAPA with 98 MW of hydropower to market to two south Texas cooperatives over Central Power and Light Company’s transmission system.

Pacific Northwest-Southwest Intertie

The Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest Intertie was authorized by Section 8 of the Pacific Northwest Power Marketing Act of Aug . 31, 1964. Originally, the Intertie was envisioned to connect the Pacific Northwest with the Pacific Southwest with AC and DC transmission line segments. As authorized, the overall project was to be a cooperative construction venture between federal and non-federal entities. WAPA’s portion of the Intertie consists of two parts—a northern portion and a southern portion . The northern portion is administered by WAPA’s Sierra Nevada region and is incorporated, for repayment and operational purposes, with the Central Valley Project. The southern portion is administered by WAPA’s Desert Southwest region and is treated as a separate, stand-alone project for repayment and operational purposes.

Olmsted

The Olmsted Project, located in northern Utah, was acquired from PacifiCorp in condemnation proceedings by the United States in 1990. A 12 MW replacement facility for power generation was completed in 2018 as part of the Central Utah Project operations, which is a participating project of CRSP. Since 2018, Olmsted Project power has been marketed by WAPA to Utah Municipal Power Agency and Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems.

Provo River

Authorized in 1935, the Provo River Project includes Deer Creek Dam and Powerplant on the Provo River in Utah. Its maximum operating capacity is 5 MW. Customers pay all operating, maintenance and replacement expenses of the project each year, and receive all of the energy it produces.

Washoe

This project in west-central Nevada and east-central California was designed to improve the regulation of runoff from the Truckee and Carson river systems and to provide supplemental irrigation water and drainage, as well as water for municipal, industrial and fishery use. The project’s Stampede Powerplant has a maximum capacity of 4 MW.