US Energy Administration Cuts Hydroelectric Power Forecast Due to Drought

This week, the US Energy Administration reduced its 2023 hydroelectric power forecast by 6%  due to drought in Washington state. Washington is responsible for approximately half of the nation’s power generation, but with early season heat melting snowpack at a record rate, there just hasn’t been enough water this summer. Instead, California will increase its hydroelectric output after a record year of moisture left reservoirs and aquifers more full than in recent years.

This news comes one week after Seattle issued its first voluntary water restrictions since 1992, a move that hopes to prevent deeper restrictions this fall. Current projections for the rest of the year look dire, with little precipitation and warmer than average temperatures in the forecast.

Learn more ways you can conserve water on our website here.

See the US drought monitor here.