The release of a report on the Lower Snake River Dams by Senator Patty Murray and Governor Jay Inslee has confirmed what energy utilities, including the Grays Harbor PUD, have been saying for years: the dams are a vital part of the Pacific Northwest energy network in general and a clean energy future in particular.
The report, released on Thursday, goes on to say that dam removal would be a costly move for the region and utility customers and, while possible in the future, is implausible at this time.
“This report confirms the importance of the Lower Snake River Dams to the Pacific Northwest’s energy grid,” said Grays Harbor PUD General Manager Schuyler Burkhart. “Removing the dams without having adequate and cost effective replacement resources in place is just too big a gamble to take. This report acknowledges that fact.”
For several years, the Grays Harbor PUD position on the Lower Snake River Dams has centered on the need for an equally reliable, non-carbon emitting, and affordable resource to be in place before breaching occurs. Nearly echoing the utility stance, the Murray-Inslee study states that “the replacement portfolio must be in place and demonstrating that it is producing energy and providing services to the grid before breaching of the dams to avoid significant impacts to the regional energy system and the communities it serves.”
In addition to acknowledging the Lower Snake River Dams contribution to the Federal Columbia River Power System’s role in the region’s legacy of clean energy, the report also recognizes that power costs would rise as utilities seek out replacement resources once the dams have been breached. The report states that “cost increases due to the replacement resources for the LSRD translate to 8% to 18% growth in BPA’s (Bonneville Power Administrations) public power customer’s costs in most of the scenarios, and public power households would see an increase in annual electricity costs of $100 to $230 per year in 2045.”