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Grant County
PUD’s Priest Rapids Dam has a rated capacity of
955,600 kilowatts.
Priest Rapids Dam is located on the Columbia River
in Grant and Yakima counties. Interstate 90, a strategic
mid-state route crosses the Columbia River 20 miles
upstream of Priest Rapids Dam. The Priest Rapids reservoir
is approximately 18 miles long and extends to the tailwater
of Wanapum Dam.
Priest Rapids Dam was financed with a June 1959 bond
issue of $166 million covering 49.5 years at 3.98 percent
interest. Construction took place from August 1956 to
September 1961 when commercial operation started. Along
with Wanapum Dam, both generating facilities and reservoirs
are referred to as the Priest Rapids Project. The project
is operated under a 50-year license from the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission. The license expired in
October 2005. A new operating license is expected in 2007.
Grant County PUD sells power from
Priest Rapids Dam to 17 purchasers who serve customers
throughout the Pacific Northwest and other western states. Thirty percent of power output is for sale in the region based on market principles. The remaining 70 percent of the output is used for Grant PUD's Electric System and sold to the power purchasers to the extent that is surplus to the Electric System's needs.
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