The Dalles — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 3895
- Capacity
- 1819.7 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Wasco, OR
- Operating Since
- 1957
- Generators
- 24
- Operator
- USACE Northwestern Division
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 5,932,945 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 37.2%
- Balancing Authority
- Bonneville Power Administration
- ISO/RTO
- —
- NERC Region
- WECC
The Dalles
OperatingHydro
Ranked #2 of 63 Hydro plants in OR#7 of 1454 nationally
1819.7 MW Hydro operating in Wasco, OR — Bonneville Power Administration
EIAGEMWD
1,819.7 MW
Nameplate Capacity
24
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1957
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
45.6140, -121.1346
County
Wasco, OR
Nearby Plants
- Dalles Dam North Fishway ProjectHydro6.5 MW · 0.2 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 - Portland District | Bonneville Power Administration |
| Owner(s) | USACE Northwestern Division | US Army Corps of Engineers - Portland District [100%] | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
GEM identifies the owner as US Army Corps of Engineers - Portland District [100%]
This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.
About
The Dalles Lock and Dam is a concrete-gravity run-of-the-river dam spanning the Columbia River, two miles (3.2 km) east of the city of The Dalles, Oregon, United States. It joins Wasco County, Oregon, with Klickitat County, Washington, 192 miles (309 km) upriver from the mouth of the Columbia near Astoria, Oregon. The closest towns on the Washington side are Dallesport and Wishram.
Read more on WikipediaThe Dalles hydroelectric power plant, located in Wasco County, Oregon, has a total capacity of 1819.7 MW. It began operating in 1957 and consists of 24 generators utilizing conventional hydroelectric technology. The plant's primary fuel source is water (WAT). The Dalles is operated by the USACE Northwestern Division and is within the Bonneville Power Administration balancing authority, situated in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region.
In the most recent year with available data, The Dalles generated 5,932,945 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 37.2%. The plant holds a significant position in Oregon's power generation landscape, ranking as the second largest hydroelectric facility out of 11 in the state. Nationally, it is ranked as the 7th largest out of 194 hydroelectric plants.
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
759.6K MWh
Latest Month
5.9M MWh
Annual Generation
37.2%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2023 – Dec 2025
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·corporate
As electricity costs rise, everyone wants data centers to pick up their tab. But how?
As outrage spreads over energy-hungry data centers, politicians from President Donald Trump to local lawmakers have found rare bipartisan...
Donald Trump (other)
Oregon Public Broadcasting - OPB·4 weeks ago
Grid·capacity addition
‘A 9-gigawatt problem’: Northwest’s soaring energy demand, supply constraints, could spark new power crisis
Data centers are straining electricity supplies even as Oregon tries to switch to renewable power. That's put the grid's reliability in...
Oregon (other)
OregonLive.com·2 months ago
General
Northern Wasco County PUD welcomes new manager to staff
Jeff Teel has been hired as the new Chief Operating Officer at Northern Wasco County PUD, working under PUD General Manager Roger Kline.
Columbia Community Connection·2 months ago
Industry·technology
Read
Read chapter 4 Environmental Impacts of Renewable Electricity Generation: The United States and China are the world's top two energy consumers and, as of...
United States (other)China (other)
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine·4 months ago
Last updated 2026-03-26
View all 10 articles