BRIDGEPORT, Wash. (AP) — Workers are preparing to install a new 45-ton turbine at Chief Joseph Dam, the second-largest hydropower producing dam in the United States.
Ten new turbines are set to be installed at the Columbia River dam. They are expected to generate more power — for an additional 30,000 Northwest homes — from the same amount of water.
The upgrade is one of many taking place at federally owned dams around the country as the government employs new technologies and replaces aging equipment.
In the Northwest, about 40 percent of the region’s electricity is generated by hydropower dams. The area is also home to the largest hydropower dam in the country: Grand Coulee Dam.
