- Harsh drought conditions have reduced the water in reservoirs.
- Hydroelectricity generation in Q1 2021 is 37% lower than the same period last year.
- The EIA forecasts a drop of 19% in hydroelectricity generation this year.
Hydropower generation in America’s most populous state has been severely affected by the historic drought currently ravaging the western United States. California is currently experiencing some degree of drought, with over 33 per cent of the state experiencing exceptional drought. These conditions have affected the state’s water supply levels and hydropower plants.
Due to climate change, mountain snowpacks which serve as a natural reservoir by providing meltwater during the spring and summer months, were below normal this year. Most of the snowpacks melted quickly due to higher spring temperatures. This meltwater rarely accumulated in reservoirs as it was absorbed by drought-parched soil and streams, leaving reservoirs across the state at low levels.
California’s largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, is currently at 48 per cent of its average capacity, the second-largest reservoir, Lake Oroville, is at 40 per cent and is expected to fall further, which could lead to the shutdown of the Edward Hyatt Power Plant for the first time since it commenced operations in 1967.
With this year’s harsh drought conditions, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects hydroelectric generation in California to be lower than in recent years. Hydropower generation in Q1 2021 was already 37 per cent lower than on Q1 2020 and 71 per cent lower than the same period in 2019. The EIA forecasts that hydroelectric generation in California this year will decrease from16.8 million MWh in 2020 to 13.6 million MWh in 2021, a 19 per cent decrease.