Chief Joseph — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 3921
- Capacity
- 2456.2 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Douglas, WA
- Operating Since
- 1955
- Generators
- 27
- Operator
- USACE Northwestern Division
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 9,806,156 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 45.5%
- Balancing Authority
- Bonneville Power Administration
- ISO/RTO
- —
- NERC Region
- WECC
Chief Joseph
OperatingHydro
Ranked #2 of 75 Hydro plants in WA#3 of 1454 nationally
2456.2 MW Hydro operating in Douglas, WA — Bonneville Power Administration
EIAGEMWD
2,456.2 MW
Nameplate Capacity
27
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1955
Operating Since
Location
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 - Seattle District | — |
| Owner(s) | USACE Northwestern Division | US Army Corps of Engineers - Seattle District [100%] | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
GEM identifies the owner as US Army Corps of Engineers - Seattle District [100%]
This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.
About
The Chief Joseph Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River, 2.4 km (1.5 mi) upriver from Bridgeport, Washington. The dam is 877 km (545 mi) upriver from the mouth of the Columbia at Astoria, Oregon. It is operated by the USACE Chief Joseph Dam Project Office and the electricity is marketed by the Bonneville Power Administration.
Read more on WikipediaChief Joseph Dam is a hydroelectric power plant located in Douglas County, Washington. The plant has a total capacity of 2456.2 MW across 27 generators, making it the second-largest power plant in Washington state (out of 23) and the third-largest hydroelectric plant nationally (out of 194). It is operated by the USACE Northwestern Division. The plant began operating in 1955, utilizing conventional hydroelectric technology with water as its primary fuel source.
In the most recent year with available data, Chief Joseph generated 9,806,156 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 45.5%. The plant operates within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region and is under the balancing authority of the Bonneville Power Administration.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
WECC
Balancing Authority
Bonneville Power Administration
Grid Voltage
500 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Federal
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
1.0M MWh
Latest Month
9.8M MWh
Annual Generation
45.5%
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
Grid·outage
Northwest’s only commercial nuclear power plant back online. What happened?
The Pacific Northwest's only commercial nuclear power plant was reconnected to the electric grid Tuesday afternoon and by 8 a.m. Wednesday...
Tri-City Herald·3 weeks ago
Grid·outage
Northwest’s only nuclear power plant shut down after problem detected
The Columbia Generating Station north of Richland is the third largest electricity generator in Washington state, behind the Grand Coulee...
The Seattle Times·4 weeks ago
General
Columbia Generating Station to come back online this week
The Columbia Generating Station, run by Energy Northwest, has been offline since Feb. 12. That's because a faulty electrical filter tripped...
NWPB·4 weeks ago
Industry·technology
U.S. Hydropower Faces Prospects for Growth, Contraction in 2026
The U.S. hydroelectric sector is approaching a bit of an inflection point as 2026 begins: The demand for energy storage capacity is driving...
RTO Insider·3 months ago
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all 10 articles