ENLOE DAM—AN ECONOMIC LOSS

New Analysis Reveals Extreme Unprofitability of
Proposed Hydropower Project

Ratepayers will want to take notice of the Enloe Dam Economic Report on the financials of the proposed reconstruction of hydroelectric production facilities at Enloe Dam.

The report was prepared by Rocky Mountain Econometrics (RME) of Boise, ID
for the Hydropower Reform Coalition, and several of its member groups, in-
cluding Columbia River Bioregional Education Project (Columbiana) of Oro-
ville, WA.

Concluding that it will not be possible for the P.U.D. to sell power from Enloe
Dam at or above the cost of producing it, the report estimates that the P.U.D. will lose $26 for every megawatt hour produced at the dam.

Other key findings include:

• The P.U.D.'s 2008 financial projections were based on 2007 data, gathered at the height of the economic boom that collapsed soon after the anlysis was completed, and has not recovered.

• Open market prices of electricity, which will dictate what the P.U.D. can value Enloe power for, have retreated by 50% since 2008.

• Construction costs for the Enloe Project have increased since 2008 by 30%—raising estimated Enloe build cost from $30 million to approximately $40 million.

• The long term price for Enloe power will be $43.55 per megawatt hour (MWh) verses the $66 MWh predicted by the P.U.D. in 2008.

• The P.U.D.'s 2008 financial analysis did not consider lost revenues associated with tourism generated by Similkameen Falls on the Pacific Northwest Scenic Trail immediately downstream from Enloe Dam.

Click the link for the Recent History of Enloe Dam page.

For the full economic report, click the link below:

Review of the Economics of Restoring Hydropower
at Enloe Dam on the Similkameen River