'Hydropower Flows Here': Bonneville Power Promotes Benefits Of Hydropower In New Educational Campaign

PORTLAND, OR — Bonneville Power Administration officials on Thursday announced the launch of an educational campaign to promote the benefits and advantages of using clean, renewable hydropower throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Dubbed 'Hydropower Flows Here', the campaign is meant to "share information about the various attributes of this renewable, clean, reliable source of electricity that powers nearly 60 percent of Northwest homes and businesses," Dan James, Bonneville Power Administration's deputy administrator, said in a statement.

Accounting for nearly 90 percent of the renewable energy sources in the PNW, hydroelectric dams here produce more electricity than any other North American river system, BPA officials said.

"We want to remind residents that the next time you turn on the light switch, make a pot of coffee or charge your electric vehicle, 'Hydropower Flows Here,'" said James.

The region served by BPA has benefitted from hydropower for the past 80 years, officials said, helping ease the integration of other renewable energy resources, like wind power, into the BPA grid.

"Clean and reliable hydropower is a big part of where we live," said Scott Corwin, executive director of the Public Power Council. "It is good to see BPA educating on this important regional resource."

The BPA statement further identified other utility customer representatives who've signed on to back the Hydropower Flows Here campaign. They include: Northwest Requirement Utilities, Northwest RiverPartners, Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee, PNGC Power, Public Power Council and Washington Public Utility District Association, as well as dozens of utilities across four states, officials said.

According to the statement, each supporting agency will provide its own educational element within its own sphere.

Click here to learn more about Pacific Northwest hydropower

Photo Courtesy: Bonneville Power Administration