Serving the People of the Northwest

Program Document · Fri May 01 04:00:00 EDT 2009

OSTI ID:1132827

IF YOU LIVE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, CHANCES ARE YOU USE ELECTRICITY THAT’S MARKETED BY THE BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION OR IS TRANSMITTED OVER BPA POWER LINES. Headquartered in Portland, Ore., BPA is a federal agency that markets wholesale electricity and transmission to the region’s utilities as well as to some large industries. BPA provides about one-third of the electricity used in the Northwest and operates over three-fourths of the region’s high-voltage transmission. BPA does not rely on annual appropriations from Congress for its financing. Instead, the agency recovers all of its costs through sales of electricity and transmission services and repays the U.S. Treasury in full with interest for any money it borrows. BPA sells wholesale power at cost rather than charging market prices. The bulk of the power BPA sells is generated at federal hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River, thus providing some of the lowest-cost electricity in the nation. This low-cost, clean power has been a cornerstone of the Northwest economy for decades, stimulating growth and new jobs. As concerns about global climate change are placing a new premium on clean energy, the federal hydro system has become an increasingly valuable resource. In addition to being low cost, electricity produced by the federal hydro system has no greenhouse gas emissions. And this power source is renewable — replenished each year by the region’s rainfall and snowmelt.

• Research Organization: Bonneville Power Administration
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)
• OSTI ID: 1132827
• Report Number(s): DOE/BP-3949
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BPA
power
electricity
hydroelectric
dam
Columbia River