The Bonneville Power Administration has approved a $700 million plan to increase the output of the Pacific Northwest’s only commercial nuclear plant by 162 MW by 2031.
BPA said May 22 that it approved implementation of an extended power uprate (EPU) project for the 1,207-MW Columbia Generating Station (CGS) it publicly proposed in April. (See Northwest’s Only Nuclear Plant Could Get Uprate.)
The federal power agency also said CGS will gain an additional 24 MW of capacity from a series of energy efficiency upgrades made during the plant’s 2027, 2029 and 2031 refueling cycles, bringing the total increase to 186 MW.
Located near Richland, Wash., CGS is owned and operated by Energy Northwest, a consortium of Washington utilities. BPA markets the energy produced by the plant and covers its costs, which are included in the revenue requirements of the agency’s power services rate structure.
“This is a great value for ratepayers in the Pacific Northwest,” BPA Administrator John Hairston said in a statement. “Upgrading an existing resource to provide additional reliable energy will help BPA keep pace with its customers’ growing electricity needs and keep rates low.”
“We applaud BPA for its decision to approve this project and for its strategic vision in advancing our region’s future with additional, reliable capacity that nuclear energy can provide,” Energy Northwest CEO Bob Schuetz said. “Their leadership in supporting this initiative underscores a commitment to affordable and carbon-free electricity for the Northwest region, including our public power member utilities and their customers.”
BPA and Energy Northwest said the EPU will increase electrical output at the plant by upgrading and replacing key pieces of equipment, including turbines, heat exchangers and the plant’s generator. The process also will involve 30 individual upgrades focused on increasing the size of pumps and motors.
During an April 8 meeting to discuss the proposed uprate, a BPA representative said the agency’s resource program includes the CGS EPU in its least-cost portfolio for meeting future customer needs, reducing the amount of new solar and wind capacity it otherwise would need to procure.
