Gorge

OperatingHydro

Ranked #16 of 75 Hydro plants in WA#91 of 1454 nationally

207.3 MW Hydro operating in Whatcom, WA — Seattle City Light

EIAGEMWD

207.3 MW

Nameplate Capacity

Generators

units

Conventional Hydroelectric

Technology

1924

Operating Since

Location

Coordinates

48.6981, -121.2086

County

Whatcom, WA

Nearby Plants

Newhalem
Hydro2.3 MW · 3.4 km
Diablo
Hydro182.4 MW · 5.9 km
Ross
Hydro450 MW · 11.0 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	City of Seattle - (WA)	Seattle City Light	—
Owner(s)	City of Seattle - (WA)	Seattle City Light [100%]	—
Status	Operating	operating	—

Ownership Chain

GEM identifies the owner as Seattle City Light [100%]

This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.

About

The Gorge hydroelectric plant, located in Whatcom County, Washington, has a total capacity of 207.3 MW across four generators. The plant began operating in 1924 and is owned and operated by the City of Seattle. It utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology with water as its primary fuel source. Gorge ranks as the 16th largest power plant in Washington out of 23, and 91st nationally out of 194 plants.

In the most recent year with available data, Gorge generated 768,952 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 42.3%. The plant operates within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region, under the balancing authority of Seattle City Light.

Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources

EIA Plant Profile Wikidata Global Energy Monitor

Engineering & Generators