The giant hydropower plant at Lake Oroville shut down in a historic first Thursday because of the drought, putting another dent in California’s defense against rolling blackouts.
The state Department of Water Resources said the Hyatt Powerplant, a fixture at Lake Oroville since the reservoir was built in the late 1960s, has been taken down because of low water levels.
“This is the first time Hyatt Powerplant has gone offline as a result of low lake levels,” said Karla Nemeth, the agency director, in a prepared statement.
The plant has the capacity to generate up to 750 megawatts of electricity, enough power for about a half-million households, although it typically produces about 400 megawatts.
The shutdown at Hyatt has been anticipated for months as the drought worsened. All told, managers of California’s power grid are struggling with the loss of roughly 1,000 megawatts of hydropower as reservoir levels plunge.
Lake Oroville is just one-quarter full, which is well below normal for early August.
“DWR anticipated this moment, and the state has planned for its loss in both water and grid management,” Nemeth said. Typically the state gets about 15% of its power from hydro.
The Independent System Operator, which runs the state’s electricity grid, has been working furiously to avoid a repeat of last August’s two nights of rolling blackouts.
The state has had several close calls this summer but so far has been able to keep the lights on. The Independent System Operator has appealed to generators and trading companies to supply the state with more power.
And in late July, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration announced a cash-for-conservation program, aimed at large industrial customers, that would compensate them for reductions in energy usage during crunch times.
This story was originally published August 05, 2021 5:04 PM.
