Little Goose — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 3926
- Capacity
- 810 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Columbia, WA
- Operating Since
- 1970
- Generators
- 6
- Operator
- USACE Northwestern Division
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 1,589,274 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 22.4%
- Balancing Authority
- Bonneville Power Administration
- ISO/RTO
- —
- NERC Region
- WECC
Little Goose
OperatingHydro
Ranked #8 of 75 Hydro plants in WA#29 of 1454 nationally
810 MW Hydro operating in Columbia, WA — Bonneville Power Administration
EIAGEMWD
810 MW
Nameplate Capacity
6
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1970
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
46.5838, -118.0273
County
Columbia, WA
Nearby Plants
- Lower Snake River Wind Energy ProjectWind342.7 MW · 17.1 km
- Tucannon River Wind FarmWind266.8 MW · 17.2 km
- Lower Snake Solar Generation BESSBESS600 MW · 17.8 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 | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| 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
Little Goose Lock and Dam is a hydroelectric, concrete, run-of-the-river dam in the northwest United States, on the lower Snake River in southeast Washington. At the dam, the river is the border between Columbia and Whitman counties; it is nine miles (14 km) northeast of Starbuck and 25 miles (40 km) north of Dayton.
Read more on WikipediaLittle Goose is a hydroelectric power plant located in Columbia County, Washington. The plant, which began operating in 1970, has a total capacity of 810 MW derived from six generators. It is owned and operated by the USACE Northwestern Division. The primary fuel source is water (WAT), and the plant utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology. Little Goose is within the Bonneville Power Administration balancing authority and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region.
In terms of size, Little Goose ranks as the 9th largest power plant in Washington out of 23, and 30th nationally out of 194 plants. The plant's latest annual generation was 1,589,274 MWh, resulting in a capacity factor of 22.4%. Recent news coverage related to the plant includes one article pertaining to hazards.
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
184.1K MWh
Latest Month
1.6M MWh
Annual Generation
22.4%
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
General
Leaked document says U.S. is willing to build energy projects in case Snake River dams are breached
The US government is willing to help build enough new clean energy projects in the Pacific Northwest to replace the hydropower generated by four controversial...
PBS·2 years ago
General
Report: Breaching Snake River dams would put thousands of farmers at risk
The livelihoods of thousands of farmers would be put at risk if the four lower Snake River dams are breached, a new study says.
Capital Press·2 years ago
General
Video - Little Goose Dam, a brief overview.
Little Goose Dam construction started in June 1963. The project includes a dam, navigation lock, power plant, fish ladder and appurtenant facilities.
DVIDS - Defense Visual Information Distribution Service·2 years ago
General
Why Restoration of the Lower Snake River is Necessary to Save Wild Salmon
The Columbia River Basin was once among the greatest salmon-producing river systems in the world. But all remaining salmon on its largest...
Earthjustice·3 years ago
Last updated 2026-03-26
View all 10 articles