PGE and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs commit to 16 more years of reliable power generation and partnership at the Pelton Round Butte project

Portland, Ore. – Earlier this month, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (CTWS) and Portland General Electric entered into a new agreement extending their long-standing partnership at the Pelton Round Butte project, a low-impact hydropower facility on the Deschutes River co-owned by the Tribes’ and the utility company. Under this new agreement, PGE will continue to purchase power generated from the Tribes’ share of the project through 2040, and 100% of the emissions-free electricity generated at Pelton Round Butte will continue to come into PGE’s portfolio.

This long-term power purchase agreement is forecasted to fulfill 224 megawatts or 40% of PGE’s outstanding 2025 capacity needs with clean, reliable electricity. As a flexible resource, Pelton Round Butte is capable of increasing and decreasing output to meet customer demand and allows PGE to continue integrating renewable resources.

“Clean hydropower is an important part of our diverse resource mix, serving customers with reliable, affordable, emissions-free electricity,” said Maria Pope, PGE’s president and CEO. The Pelton Round Butte hydroelectric project was completed in 1964 and includes three dams situated along a 20-mile stretch in the Deschutes River Canyon. In total, the project produces approximately 500 megawatts of emissions-free electricity – enough to power about 150,000 homes, or a city the size of Salem.

In addition to entering into this new power purchase agreement, CTWS also announced their intention to increase their ownership share in Pelton Round Butte from 33% to 49%. The Tribes became co-owners of the Pelton and Round Butte facilities in 2001 through an agreement that provided CTWS with an additional opportunity to purchase a greater share of the project in 2021.

“Our longstanding relationship with this resource is something that is very important to our current tribal membership and to future generations,” said Jim Manion, general manager of Warm Springs Power and Water Enterprises. “We will continue to be good stewards of this precious resource that we have the responsibility of co-managing.”

For more than forty years, PGE and CTWS have worked together to generate power and advance an ambitious set of environmental goals on the Deschutes, including the reintroduction of salmon and steelhead runs. “This agreement is a testament to our close partnership and shared commitment to the Deschutes River Basin. PGE is honored to continue working together with the Tribes in Central Oregon for the next two decades, and beyond,” said Pope.

Learn more about the Pelton Round Butte Project: portlandgeneral.com/healthydeschutes.