Hells Canyon — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 3013
- Capacity
- 411.1 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Wallowa, OR
- Operating Since
- 1967
- Generators
- 3
- Operator
- Idaho Power Co
- Parent Company
- IDACORP
- Annual Generation
- 1,925,510 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 53.4%
- Balancing Authority
- Idaho Power Company
- ISO/RTO
- —
- NERC Region
- WECC
Hells Canyon
OperatingHydro
Ranked #5 of 63 Hydro plants in OR#59 of 1454 nationally
411.1 MW Hydro operating in Wallowa, OR — Idaho Power Company
EIAGEMWD
411.1 MW
Nameplate Capacity
3
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1967
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
45.2439, -116.7008
County
Wallowa, OR
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Idaho Power Co | Idaho Power | — |
| Owner(s) | Idaho Power Co | IDACORP | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
About
Hells Canyon Dam is a concrete gravity dam in the western United States, on the Snake River in Hells Canyon along the Idaho-Oregon border. At river mile 247, the dam impounds Hells Canyon Reservoir; its spillway elevation is 1,680 feet (512 m) above sea level.
Read more on WikipediaHells Canyon is a 411.1 MW hydroelectric power plant located in Wallowa County, Oregon. The plant began operating in 1967 and utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology. It is owned by IDACORP and operated by Idaho Power Co. The plant has three generators and uses water (WAT) as its primary fuel source. Hells Canyon ranks as the 5th largest of 11 hydroelectric plants in Oregon, and 59th out of 194 nationally.
The plant operates within the Idaho Power Company balancing authority and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region. In the latest year of reported generation data, Hells Canyon produced 1,925,510 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 53.4%. Financial data indicates an installed cost of $224.37 per kW.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
WECC
Balancing Authority
Idaho Power Company
Grid Voltage
230 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
116.9K MWh
Latest Month
1.9M MWh
Annual Generation
53.4%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
Financial DataBeta
Source: FERC Form 1HIGH
$315/kW
Installed Cost
$1.9/MWh
Operating Cost
Idaho Power Company
Reporting Utility
Cumulative Installed Cost
Per-Unit Cost Trends
Pricing & Market Data
Market Position
LMP Node
HCPR_2_TOT_GEN-APND
Pricing Hub
—
News & Articles (10)Beta
Regulatory·permitting
Idaho Power Company; Notice of Intent To File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document, and Approving Use of the Traditional Licensing Process
Idaho Power Company (other)
Federal Register (FERC)·3 days ago
Regulatory·ferc order
FERC issues draft Supplemental EIS on Hells Canyon relicensing
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will take comments through March 2 on a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement tied to...
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (regulator)
Capital Press·4 weeks ago
Regulatory·ferc order
FERC Staff Recommends Relicensing of Idaho Power’s Hells Canyon Dams
FERC staff recommended the commission relicense three Idaho Power-owned dams that have been operating under annual licenses since 2005.
FERC (regulator)Idaho Power (operator)
RTO Insider·2 months ago
Regulatory·ferc order
US hydropower is at a make-or-break moment
Gigawatts of clean energy are at stake as aging hydropower plants approach deadlines for relicensing — a yearslong, often extremely...
Canary Media·5 months ago
Last updated 2026-03-25
View all 10 articles