Chief Joseph
Hydro power plant in Douglas County, Washington. 1,743.8 MW of nameplate capacity across 19 generators, operated by USACE Northwestern Division.
Also known as Chief Joseph Powerhouse · EIA plant 3921
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 1,743.8 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 19 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- December 1956First generator online
- Operator
- USACE Northwestern DivisionEIA operator ID 19400
- Grid
- BPATBalancing authority BPAT
- Price nodes
- None linkedNo verified ISO node
- Location
- Douglas County, WA47.9951, −119.6404
- EIA plant ID
- 3921EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Chief Joseph produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
9.81 TWh
9,806,156 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
45.6%
2024: 42.8%
January to July 2026
8.02 TWh
Provisional
Range, 2015 to 2025
9.2–12.5
TWh a year. Low 2024, high 2022
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 12,123,222 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 7,696,229 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 11,573,719 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 10,137,092 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 10,076,148 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 10,868,796 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 11,551,577 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 11,561,215 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 10,711,984 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 9,780,018 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 9,115,556 | 42.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 12,503,029 | 58.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 12,480,327 | 57.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 12,187,702 | 56.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 11,643,559 | 54.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 11,462,296 | 53.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 11,638,206 | 53.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 11,422,433 | 53.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 12,352,466 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 9,854,017 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 11,863,203 | 55.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 10,981,266 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 12,476,970 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 9,390,736 | 43.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 9,227,828 | 42.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 9,806,156 | 45.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | 8,015,325 | 64.1% | 7 of 7 |
* 2026 covers January to July and is provisional. Capacity factor is net generation divided by nameplate capacity times the hours of each reported month.
Power prices and basis
Free accountNo verified ISO price node is linked to this plant, or its price history could not load.
Emissions
Free · EPA CAMPDNo EPA emissions units are linked to this plant.
Water use
Free · EIA-923 cooling, USGSNo EIA cooling-water record for this plant in 2024. Plants without steam cooling, such as wind, solar and batteries, do not report cooling water.
Generators
Free · EIA-860M| Generator | Technology | Nameplate MW | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 88.2 | October 1958 |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 88.2 | July 1958 |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 88.2 | May 1958 |
| 4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 88.2 | February 1958 |
| 5 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 88.2 | February 1957 |
| 6 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 88.2 | December 1956 |
| 14 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 88.2 | July 1957 |
| 15 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 88.2 | September 1957 |
| 16 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 88.2 | November 1957 |
| 17 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 95.0 | July 1977 |
| 18 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 95.0 | August 1977 |
| 20 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 95.0 | June 1978 |
| 21 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 95.0 | June 1978 |
| 22 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 95.0 | June 1978 |
| 23 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 95.0 | September 1978 |
| 24 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 95.0 | January 1979 |
| 25 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 95.0 | January 1979 |
| 26 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 95.0 | February 1979 |
| 27 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 95.0 | May 1979 |
Ownership and offtake
ProOwnership and offtake are part of Pro
Owners and their shares, parent companies, and power purchase agreements with their buyers. EIA-860M lists USACE Northwestern Division as the operator, which is not always the owner.
Modeled data
ProPro adds modeled values for this plant. Everything above stays free.
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Power plants near Chief Joseph
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Questions about Chief Joseph
How much power does Chief Joseph produce?
Chief Joseph reported 9,806,156 MWh (9.81 TWh) of net generation in 2025, a 45.6% capacity factor on 1,743.8 MW of nameplate capacity. From January to July 2026 it reported 8.02 TWh, which is provisional.
Where is Chief Joseph?
Chief Joseph is in Douglas County, Washington, at 47.9951, −119.6404. It is in the Bonneville Power Administration balancing area (BPAT).
Who operates Chief Joseph?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists USACE Northwestern Division as the operator (EIA operator ID 19400). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Chief Joseph start operating?
Its first generator began operating in December 1956, according to EIA-860M.
Sources
- EIA-860 2025 (final) and EIA-860M August 2026: plant, generators, capacity, operator and location
- EIA-923 monthly net generation, 2000 to July 2026 (2026 provisional)
- Plant names from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Page updated 2026-10-04 from the InfraMap data build. Methodology · Data sources · EIA plant page