Power plants in Washington
Washington has 138 power plants of 1 MW or more in the 2025 EIA-860 data, with 31.7 GW of nameplate capacity, the 15th-largest total among the 50 states and DC. Hydroelectric accounts for 68% of that capacity. The biggest single site is Grand Coulee at 6,809 MW. Units that came online from 2020 to 2025 add 670 MW, led by wind at 42%. Units retired since 2016 at plants still operating total 1,079 MW, most of it coal.
- Hydroelectric21,460 MW68%
- Natural gas4,045 MW13%
- Wind3,387 MW11%
- Nuclear1,200 MW3.8%
- Coal730 MW2.3%
- Pumped-storage hydro314 MW1.0%
- Biomass and waste284 MW0.9%
- Solar268 MW0.8%
- Oil and petroleum17.5 MW0.1%
- Battery storage4 MW0.0%
What is running, by the decade it came online
NuclearCoalNatural gasOil and petroleumHydroelectricPumped-storage hydroWindSolarBattery storageBiomass and waste
Columns above the line show capacity still operating in 2025, stacked by fuel. Below the line: capacity retired in each decade at plants that still operate.
The 25 largest plants
| Rank | Plant | Runs on | Capacity | First unit | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Coulee | Hydroelectric | 6,809 MW | 1941 | U S Bureau of Reclamation |
| 2 | Chief Joseph | Hydroelectric | 2,456 MW | 1955 | USACE Northwestern Division |
| 3 | Rocky Reach | Hydroelectric | 1,349 MW | 1961 | PUD No 1 of Chelan County (WA) |
| 4 | Wanapum | Hydroelectric | 1,220 MW | 2011 | PUD No 2 of Grant County (WA) |
| 5 | Columbia Generating Station | Nuclear | 1,200 MW | 1984 | Energy Northwest- Columbia |
| 6 | Boundary | Hydroelectric | 1,160 MW | 1967 | City of Seattle (WA) |
| 7 | Priest Rapids | Hydroelectric | 950 MW | 1959 | PUD No 2 of Grant County (WA) |
| 8 | Wells | Hydroelectric | 867 MW | 1967 | PUD No 1 of Douglas County (WA) |
| 9 | Little Goose | Hydroelectric | 810 MW | 1970 | USACE Northwestern Division |
| 10 | Lower Granite | Hydroelectric | 810 MW | 1975 | USACE Northwestern Division |
| 11 | Lower Monumental | Hydroelectric | 810 MW | 1969 | USACE Northwestern Division |
| 12 | Transalta Centralia Generation | Coal | 730 MW | 1973 | TransAlta Centralia Gen LLC |
| 13 | Grays Harbor Energy Facility | Natural gas | 715 MW | 2008 | Invenergy Services LLC |
| 14 | Rock Island | Hydroelectric | 629 MW | 1931 | PUD No 1 of Chelan County (WA) |
| 15 | Ice Harbor | Hydroelectric | 603 MW | 1962 | USACE Northwestern Division |
| 16 | Chehalis Generating Facility | Natural gas | 593 MW | 2003 | PacifiCorp |
| 17 | Ross | Hydroelectric | 450 MW | 1952 | City of Seattle (WA) |
| 18 | Fredonia (WA) | Natural gas | 376 MW | 1984 | Puget Sound Energy Inc |
| 19 | Lower Snake River Wind Energy Project | Wind | 343 MW | 2012 | Puget Sound Energy Inc |
| 20 | Mint Farm Generating Station | Natural gas | 319 MW | 2008 | Puget Sound Energy Inc |
| 21 | Frederickson Power LP | Natural gas | 318 MW | 2002 | Frederickson Power LP |
| 22 | Goldendale Generating Station | Natural gas | 303 MW | 2004 | Puget Sound Energy Inc |
| 23 | Mossyrock | Hydroelectric | 300 MW | 1968 | City of Tacoma (WA) |
| 24 | Ferndale Generating Station | Natural gas | 286 MW | 1994 | Puget Sound Energy Inc |
| 25 | Wild Horse | Wind | 273 MW | 2006 | Puget Sound Energy Inc |
Largest plant for each main fuel
| Main fuel | Plants | Capacity | Largest plant | Its capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydroelectric | 72 | 21.8 GW | Grand Coulee | 6,809 MW |
| Natural gas | 16 | 4,037 MW | Grays Harbor Energy Facility | 715 MW |
| Wind | 23 | 3,387 MW | Lower Snake River Wind Energy Project | 343 MW |
| Nuclear | 1 | 1,200 MW | Columbia Generating Station | 1,200 MW |
| Coal | 1 | 730 MW | Transalta Centralia Generation | 730 MW |
| Biomass and waste | 13 | 291 MW | Nippon Dynawave Packaging Longview WA | 62.4 MW |
| Solar | 7 | 268 MW | Lund Hill Solar | 150 MW |
| Oil and petroleum | 3 | 18.7 MW | University of Washington Power Plant | 15 MW |
| Battery storage | 2 | 3.5 MW | Glacier Battery Storage | 2 MW |
Balancing areas
| Area | Plants | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Bonneville Power Administration | 51 | 19.3 GW |
| Puget Sound Energy | 33 | 2,974 MW |
| Seattle City Light | 9 | 2,068 MW |
| Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County | 3 | 2,038 MW |
| Public Utility District No. 2 of Grant County, Washington | 1 | 1,220 MW |
| PUD No. 1 of Douglas County | 1 | 867 MW |
| Avista | 20 | 849 MW |
| PacifiCorp West | 8 | 833 MW |
Biggest operators here
| Operator | Plants | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| U S Bureau of Reclamation | 3 | 6,834 MW |
| USACE Northwestern Division | 5 | 5,489 MW |
| Puget Sound Energy Inc | 17 | 2,970 MW |
| PUD No 2 of Grant County (WA) | 2 | 2,170 MW |
| City of Seattle (WA) | 7 | 2,048 MW |
| PUD No 1 of Chelan County (WA) | 3 | 2,038 MW |
| PacifiCorp | 7 | 1,513 MW |
| Energy Northwest- Columbia | 1 | 1,200 MW |
| PUD No 1 of Douglas County (WA) | 1 | 867 MW |
| Invenergy Services LLC | 2 | 805 MW |