Powerplant at Oroville Dam resumes limited operation
Jan. 5—Due to recent storms, the Hyatt Powerplant at Oroville Dam in Butte County has resumed operation and is currently providing power again to the state.
After being taken offline on Aug. 5 due to dramatically low lake levels as a result of California's severe drought conditions, the plant is now able to utilize one generating unit to produce electricity and supply it to the state's electrical grid, said the Department of Water Resources (DWR) in a news release on Tuesday.
DWR said the recent storms in Northern California have boosted lake levels and provided colder water in the reservoir to allow operations to resume. The agency said outflows from the plant and generation will initially remain low due to reduced agricultural demands and improved delta salinity conditions. DWR also said it anticipates an average outflow of about 900 cubic feet per second which will generate approximately 30 megawatts of power. The agency said once lake levels rise and demands increase, additional units will be brought back online.
"This is a significant milestone as California sees some relief from drought conditions," said DWR Director Karla Nemeth in the release. "Providing clean hydropower to the state energy grid allows DWR to assist in meeting the state's clean energy goals."
To learn more about DWR's power production operations, visit https://water.ca.gov/What-We-Do/Power.
