McNary — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 3084
- Capacity
- 990.5 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Umatilla, OR
- Operating Since
- 1953
- Generators
- 14
- Operator
- USACE Northwestern Division
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 3,668,282 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 42.2%
- Balancing Authority
- Bonneville Power Administration
- ISO/RTO
- —
- NERC Region
- WECC
McNary
OperatingHydro
Ranked #4 of 63 Hydro plants in OR#24 of 1454 nationally
990.5 MW Hydro operating in Umatilla, OR — Bonneville Power Administration
EIAGEMWD
990.5 MW
Nameplate Capacity
14
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1953
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
45.9402, -119.2988
County
Umatilla, OR
Nearby Plants
- McNary Dam Fish Attraction ProjectHydro10 MW · 0.0 km
- Hermiston Generating PlantNatural Gas621.2 MW · 16.1 km
- Hermiston Power PartnershipNatural Gas689.4 MW · 16.4 km
Ownership & Operator
Owner data does not fully agree across sources.
EIA typically reports the operating utility, while GEM resolves to the financial owner or parent corporation. Both can be correct.
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | USACE Northwestern Division | US Army Corps of Engineers - Walla Walla District | — |
| Owner(s) | USACE Northwestern Division | US Army Corps of Engineers - Walla Walla District [100%] | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
GEM identifies the owner as US Army Corps of Engineers - Walla Walla District [100%]
This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.
About
McNary Dam is a 1.4-mile (2.2-km) long concrete gravity run-of-the-river dam which spans the Columbia River. It joins Umatilla County, Oregon with Benton County, Washington, 292 miles (470 km) upriver from the mouth of the Columbia. It is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' McNary Lock and Dam office. The dam is located a mile (2 km) east of the town of Umatilla, Oregon, and 8 miles (13 km) north of Hermiston, Oregon. The dam was originally planned to be named Umatilla Dam, but the Flood Control Act of 1945 renamed the dam in honor of Senator Charles L. McNary of Oregon, who had died in February 1944.
Read more on WikipediaMcNary is a 990.5 MW hydroelectric power plant located in Umatilla County, Oregon. The plant began operating in 1953 and is owned and operated by the USACE Northwestern Division. It utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology with water (WAT) as its primary fuel source. The facility consists of 14 generators.
In the most recent year of record, McNary generated 3,668,282 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 42.2%. The plant operates within the Bonneville Power Administration balancing authority and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region. McNary is the 4th largest of 11 hydroelectric plants in Oregon, and ranks 24th out of 194 nationally.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
WECC
Balancing Authority
Bonneville Power Administration
Grid Voltage
230 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Federal
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
431.7K MWh
Latest Month
3.7M MWh
Annual Generation
42.2%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
Financial Data
No financial data available for this plant.
Pricing & Market Data
This plant is outside organized wholesale electricity markets (ISOs/RTOs). Nodal pricing data is not available.
News & Articles (10)Beta
Industry·technology
America’s secret sauce: Powering its energy revolution, 293 dams undergo rehab
Hoover Dam turns 90: hydroelectric sites undergo upgrade to keep lights on, rivers alive.
Hoover Dam (operator)
Gulf News·7 months ago
Industry·technology
After reaching historic lows, hydropower generation in the Northwest expected to rise in 2025
Hydropower in the region is expected to increase about 17% compared to last year, a welcome boost to growing energy demand, but will still...
Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business·10 months ago
Grid·outage
Few neighborhoods still dealing with power outages one week later
As of Tuesday, Duquesne Light Company said power was restored for 99% of customers who were impacted by the mass outage caused by last week's storms.
Duquesne Light Company (operator)
WTAE·10 months ago
Regulatory·federal policy
Trump ‘plays with fire’ in cutting Bonneville Power Administration, insiders say
This whole exercise would be ludicrous if it weren't so serious,” said Randy Hardy, who headed BPA in the 1990s. “Cuts to this kind of thing...
Donald Trump (executive)Bonneville Power Administration (regulator)
The Seattle Times·1 years ago
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all 10 articles