Cowlitz Falls — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 7427
- Capacity
- 70 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Lewis, WA
- Operating Since
- 1994
- Generators
- 2
- Operator
- PUD No 1 of Lewis County
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 196,307 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 31.9%
- Balancing Authority
- Bonneville Power Administration
- ISO/RTO
- —
- NERC Region
- WECC
Cowlitz Falls
OperatingHydro
Ranked #28 of 75 Hydro plants in WA#250 of 1454 nationally
70 MW Hydro operating in Lewis, WA — Bonneville Power Administration
EIAGEMWD
70 MW
Nameplate Capacity
2
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1994
Operating Since
Location
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | PUD No 1 of Lewis County | PUD No 1 of Lewis County | — |
| Owner(s) | PUD No 1 of Lewis County | PUD No 1 of Lewis County | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
GEM identifies the owner as PUD No 1 of Lewis County
This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.
About
Cowlitz Falls Dam is a 70 megawatt hydroelectric dam in Lewis County, Washington. It was constructed in the early 1990s and completed in 1994. The dam is 140 feet (43 m) high and 700 feet (210 m) wide.
Read more on WikipediaCowlitz Falls is a 70 MW conventional hydroelectric power plant located in Lewis County, Washington. The plant began operating in 1994 and is owned and operated by PUD No 1 of Lewis County. It consists of two generators utilizing water as its primary fuel source. Cowlitz Falls is connected to the grid within the Bonneville Power Administration balancing authority, operating within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region.
In the most recent year with available data, Cowlitz Falls generated 196,307 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 31.9%. The plant ranks as the 29th largest in Washington state out of 75 power plants, and nationally it ranks 255th out of 1464 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
Political Subdivision
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
28.8K MWh
Latest Month
196.3K MWh
Annual Generation
31.9%
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
Hazards·flooding
Another atmospheric river brings major flooding concerns to Oregon, Southwest Washington
Officials are warning residents in northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington to once again brace for more rain and strong winds on Thursday.
Oregon (other)Southwest Washington (other)
Oregon Public Broadcasting - OPB·3 months ago
Hazards·flooding
LIVE UPDATES: WA power outages, flooding, blizzard warning, road closures
Hundreds of thousands woke up without power on Wednesday after Washington already had two levee failures this week amid major flooding.
Washington (other)
FOX 13 Seattle·3 months ago
Hazards·flooding
New Flood Warnings Issued for Washington After Atmospheric River
Historic flooding from an atmospheric river hit western Washington as NWS issues residents around the Cedar, Cowlitz, and Yakima rivers with...
Washington (other)NWS (other)
Newsweek·3 months ago
Hazards·flooding
LIVE UPDATES: Evacuations, major river flooding across western WA
Severe flooding is expected across western Washington as rivers hit record levels, leading to widespread evacuations and road closures.
Washington (other)
FOX 13 Seattle·3 months ago
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all 10 articles