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51 MW Hydro operating in Pierce, WA
51 MW
Nameplate Capacity
2
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1945
Operating Since
Coordinates
46.8016, -122.3102
County
Pierce, WA
Nearby Plants
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Owner data does not fully agree across sources.
EIA typically reports the operating utility, while GEM resolves to the financial owner or parent corporation. Both can be correct.
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | City of Tacoma - (WA) | City of Tacoma (WA) | — |
| Owner(s) | City of Tacoma - (WA) | City of Tacoma (WA) | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
GEM identifies the owner as City of Tacoma (WA)
This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.
Alder Dam is a concrete thick arch dam on the Nisqually River in the U.S. state of Washington. The construction began in 1942 and was completed in 1945. At this time Alder Dam was among the tallest dams in the United States, although this title has since been surpassed. The impounded water behind the dam forms Alder Lake, stretching about 7 miles (11 km) upstream with a capacity of 241,950 acre-feet (0.29844 km3). With 28 miles (45 km) of shoreline, the lake is a popular recreation spot close to Mount Rainier National Park.
Read more on WikipediaThe Alder hydroelectric plant, located in Pierce County, Washington, has a total capacity of 50 MW. The plant began operating in 1945 and utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology. It is owned and operated by the City of Tacoma, Washington. Alder is ranked as the 32nd largest power plant in Washington out of 75, and 302nd nationally out of 1464 plants.
The plant consists of two generators and uses water as its primary fuel source. In the most recent year with available data, Alder generated 182,852 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 41.6%. The balancing authority for the plant is the City of Tacoma, Department of Public Utilities, Light Division, and it operates within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Grid Region
Pacific Northwest
Market
WEIM Participant
NERC Region
WECC — Western Electricity Coordinating Council
Balancing Authority
City of Tacoma, Department of Public Utilities, Light Division (TPWR)
Grid Voltage
110.0 kV
Regulatory Status
RE — Regulated
Entity Type
Municipal
Sector
Electric Utility
Monthly net generation as reported to EIA-923 — useful for historical context. Confidence varies sharply by fuel type; the band above and the “About this data” button explain the caveats specific to this plant and how InfraSure’s in-house model handles them.
24.2K MWh
Latest Month
182.9K MWh
Annual Generation
41.6%
Capacity Factor
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2013
$2,294/kW
Est. Construction Cost
Total estimated cost: $114.7M
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This plant's balancing authority participates in CAISO's Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM). Direct nodal pricing data is not yet available.
No wholesale contracts disclosed in FERC EQR for this plant.
FERC EQR captures bilateral wholesale energy + capacity contracts ≥$1M/yr filed quarterly by jurisdictional sellers — covers renewable PPAs, thermal energy sales agreements, capacity contracts, and tolling agreements alike. Many plants don't appear: regulated-utility output flows to ratepayers via cost-of-service rather than bilateral contracts; small projects fall below the filing threshold; tax-equity-financed renewables route offtake to investors not utilities; merchant plants sell into ISO clearing markets without bilateral contracts. News-extracted buyer facts (below) may surface contracts disclosed only through announcements.
Last updated 2026-03-14
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