1940s - 1980s
Building Reliable Power Plants
PGE expands generation territory east of the Cascades and west of Portland along the Columbia River, seeking to build higher capacity hydroelectric plants and pursues new concepts of electricity generation to meet growing demand and growth of the region.
Learn more about Oregon’s first & only Nuclear Power Plant
Trojan Nuclear Power Plant
Trojan Nuclear Power Plant constructed and operational in 1976. The years between 1967 and 1993 marked PGE’s atomic age ― an era of optimism and growth at the company, fueled and dominated by the powerful Trojan Nuclear Plant.
Bethel & Beaver Combustion Plants
Bethel Combustion Plant begins operation near Salem & Beaver Combustion Plant begins operation near Clatskanie.
Pelton Dam is a 204-foot high arch variable radius dam, 636-feet long at the crest and varies from 28-feet thick at the base to 8-feet at the top. A cantilevered “shelf” at the crest allows for a roadway across the dam and supports three intake gate hoist structures. Lake Simtustus, the reservoir behind Pelton Dam, was named by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs after Kyuslute Sim-tus-tus, a tribal member who served as a scout for the U.S. Cavalry during Oregon’s exploration and settlement.
Pelton Round Butte Groundbreaking
The formal ground-breaking ceremony was held on May 1, 1956, led by master of ceremonies PGE Vice President Ralph Millsap, speakers included Thomas Delzell, PGE Board Chairman and Charles “Charlie” Jackson, chairman of the Warm Springs Tribal Council who had signed the agreement to construct the dam on behalf of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation. Located in the Deschutes River Basin, the Pelton Round Butte Project consists of three separate hydroelectric facilities: Pelton, Round Butte, and Reregulating dams. Together, the three dams form the largest hydroelectric facility located entirely within Oregon.
1981
1981
1980
1980
1976
1976
1974
1974
1964
1964
1958
1958
1956
1956
Net Capacity
73 MW
April 1958 - present
Commercial operation
Pelton Dam & Powerhouse (Lake Simtustus)
Round Butte is PGE’s largest hydro plant in terms of peak capacity and annual production. Built of multiple materials to control erosion, the dam is a rock-filled structure that rises 440-feet above the riverbed. The dam crest is 44-feet wide and 1,450-feet long across the Deschutes River channel. Round Butte Dam takes its name from the prominent rock formation rising sharply from the flat high ground directly to the east. Lake Billy Chinook was named by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs after W.C. “Billy” Chinook. Lake Billy Chinook, the reservoir for Round Butte, is a 4,000 surface-acre lake containing more than 500,000 acre-feet of water that stretches eleven miles up the Metolius River, eight miles up the Deschutes River and six miles up the Crooked River.
230 MW
Net Capacity
November 1964 - present
Commercial operation
Round Butte Dam & Powerhouse (Lake Billy Chinook)
Learn more about Boardman Coal Power Plant
Boardman Coal Power Plant
Boardman Coal Plant constructed. The Boardman Coal Plant was the first generating facility designed to burn coal that PGE constructed from scratch. During the war years, other plants were converted to burn coal, but PGE had never built a coal-burning unit prior to Boardman.
Pelton Reregulation Dam Generation
The Pelton Reregulating Dam was built 2.4 miles downstream from the Pelton powerhouse in 1958 not to produce power, but to maintain the river’s natural flow. In 1981 as part of an agreement with PGE, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indians installed a turbine generator unit to generate power.
Learn more about the Bethel-Round Butte Transmission Line
Learn more about Beaver Combustion Plant
Expansion of the Clackamas River Hydroelectric Project
A fourth new hydroelectric power plant is being constructed along the Clackamas River, uniquely different from the other three, and extensive updates to the Oak Grove Hydroelectric Project provide increased capacity. PGE also looked to reinvest in the community by providing camping and recreation opportunities along the Clackamas River, a program that continues as a core PGE commitment today.
1940s - 1980s
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The Pelton Reregulating Dam was built 2.4 miles downstream from the Pelton powerhouse in 1958 not to produce power, but to maintain the river’s natural flow. In 1981 as part of an agreement with PGE, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indians installed a turbine generator unit to generate power.
Pelton Reregulation Dam Generation
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Learn more about Boardman Coal Power Plant
Boardman Coal Plant constructed. The Boardman Coal Plant was the first generating facility designed to burn coal that PGE constructed from scratch. During the war years, other plants were converted to burn coal, but PGE had never built a coal-burning unit prior to Boardman.
Boardman Coal Power Plant
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Learn more about Oregon’s first & only Nuclear Power Plant
Trojan Nuclear Power Plant constructed and operational in 1976. The years between 1967 and 1993 marked PGE’s atomic age ― an era of optimism and growth at the company, fueled and dominated by the powerful Trojan Nuclear Plant.
Trojan Nuclear Power Plant
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Learn more about Beaver Combustion Plant
Bethel Combustion Plant begins operation near Salem & Beaver Combustion Plant begins operation near Clatskanie.
Bethel & Beaver Combustion Plants
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Round Butte Dam & Powerhouse (Lake Billy Chinook)
Round Butte is PGE’s largest hydro plant in terms of peak capacity and annual production. Built of multiple materials to control erosion, the dam is a rock-filled structure that rises 440-feet above the riverbed. The dam crest is 44-feet wide and 1,450-feet long across the Deschutes River channel. Round Butte Dam takes its name from the prominent rock formation rising sharply from the flat high ground directly to the east. Lake Billy Chinook was named by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs after W.C. “Billy” Chinook. Lake Billy Chinook, the reservoir for Round Butte, is a 4,000 surface-acre lake containing more than 500,000 acre-feet of water that stretches eleven miles up the Metolius River, eight miles up the Deschutes River and six miles up the Crooked River.
230 MW
Net capacity
November 1964 - present
Commercial operation
Prev
Next
Pelton Dam & Powerhouse (Lake Simtustus)
Pelton Dam is a 204-foot high arch variable radius dam, 636-feet long at the crest and varies from 28-feet thick at the base to 8-feet at the top. A cantilevered “shelf” at the crest allows for a roadway across the dam and supports three intake gate hoist structures. Lake Simtustus, the reservoir behind Pelton Dam, was named by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs after Kyuslute Sim-tus-tus, a tribal member who served as a scout for the U.S. Cavalry during Oregon’s exploration and settlement.
73 MW
Net capacity
April 1958 - present
Commercial operation
Prev
Next
Learn More about the Bethel-Round Butte Transmission Line
The formal ground-breaking ceremony was held on May 1, 1956, led by master of ceremonies PGE Vice President Ralph Millsap, speakers included Thomas Delzell, PGE Board Chairman and Charles “Charlie” Jackson, chairman of the Warm Springs Tribal Council who had signed the agreement to construct the dam on behalf of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation. Located in the Deschutes River Basin, the Pelton Round Butte Project consists of three separate hydroelectric facilities: Pelton, Round Butte, and Reregulating dams. Together, the three dams form the largest hydroelectric facility located entirely within Oregon.
Pelton Round Butte Groundbreaking
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1964
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1980
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1956
History of PGE
Electrifying Oregon
Powering Progress
A Thoughtful Transition
History of PGE
Electrifying Oregon
Powering Progress
A Thoughtful Transition
History of PGE
Electrifying Oregon
Powering Progress
A Thoughtful Transition
Forever Evolving
Powering the Future
A Thoughtful Transition
Clackamas Project Expansion
Building Reliable Power Plants
Powering Progress
Willamette Falls
Clackamas River Construction
Electrifying Oregon
History of PGE
2007 | Port Westward
Forever Evolving
Learn about Port Westward
2007 | Biglow Canyon Wind Farm
Powering the Future
Learn about Biglow Canyon Wind Farm
2016 | Carty Generating Station
Forever Evolving
View the 1990s - Present Timeline
2020 | Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility
Powering the Future
View the 1990s - Present Timeline
2014 | Tucannon River Wind Farm
Powering the Future
Learn about Tucannon River Wind Farm
1974 | Beaver Combustion Plant
Building Reliable Power Plants
Learn about Beaver Combustion Plant
1976 | Trojan Nuclear Power Plant
Building Reliable Power Plants
Learn about Trojan Nuclear Power Plant
1980 | Boardman Coal Power Plant
Building Reliable Power Plants
Learn about Boardman Coal Power Plant
1958 | North Fork Hydroelectric Plant
Expansion of the Clackamas River Hydroelectric Project
Learn about North Fork Hydroelectric Plant
1964 | Round Butte Dam & Powerhouse
Building Reliable Power Plants
View the 1940s - 1980s Timeline
1958 | Pelton Dam & Powerhouse
Building Reliable Power Plants
View the 1940s - 1980s Timeline
1965 | Bethel-Round Butte Transmission Line
Building Reliable Power Plants
Learn about Bethel-Round Butte Transmission Line
1956 | Timothy Lake
Expansion of the Clackamas River Hydroelectric Project
View the 1940s - 1980s Timeline
1956 | Frog Lake
Expansion of the Clackamas River Hydroelectric Project
View the 1940s - 1980s Timeline
1953 | PGE Parks & Recreation
Expansion of the Clackamas River Hydroelectric Project
View the 1940s - 1980s Timeline
1909 | Electric Building
Constructing Hydropower on the Clackamas River
View the 1860s - 1930s Timeline
1911 | The Milliken Transmission Line
Constructing Hydropower on the Clackamas River
Learn about The Milliken Transmission Line
1907 | Faraday Powerhouse (Station G)
Constructing Hydropower on the Clackamas River
View the 1860s - 1930s Timeline
1911 | River Mill Powerhouse (Station M)
Constructing Hydropower on the Clackamas River
View the 1860s - 1930s Timeline
1924 | Three Lynx Village
Constructing Hydropower on the Clackamas River
Learn about Three Lynx Village
1924 | Oak Grove Powerhouse (Station P)
Constructing Hydropower on the Clackamas River
View the 1860s - 1930s Timeline
1895 | T.W. Sullivan Powerhouse (Station B)
Willamette Falls: the birthplace of an electric Oregon & PGE
Learn about Station B
1889 | Willamette Falls Powerhouse (Station A)
Willamette Falls: the birthplace of an electric Oregon & PGE
Learn about Station A
1868 | Willamette Falls Canal and Locks Company
Willamette Falls: the birthplace of an electric Oregon & PGE
View the 1860s - 1930s Timeline
2007 | Port Westward
Forever Evolving
Learn about Port Westward
2007 | Biglow Canyon Wind Farm
Powering the Future
Learn about Biglow Canyon Wind Farm
2016 | Carty Generating Station
Forever Evolving
View the 1990s - Present Timeline
2020 | Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility
Powering the Future
View the 1990s - Present Timeline
2014 | Tucannon River Wind Farm
Powering the Future
Learn about Tucannon River Wind Farm
1974 | Beaver Combustion Plant
Building Reliable Power Plants
Learn about Beaver Combustion Plant
1976 | Trojan Nuclear Power Plant
Building Reliable Power Plants
Learn about Trojan Nuclear Power Plant
1980 | Boardman Coal Power Plant
Building Reliable Power Plants
Learn about Boardman Coal Power Plant
1958 | North Fork Hydroelectric Plant
Expansion of the Clackamas River Hydroelectric Project
Learn about North Fork Hydroelectric Plant
1964 | Round Butte Dam & Powerhouse
Building Reliable Power Plants
View the 1940s - 1980s Timeline
1958 | Pelton Dam & Powerhouse
Building Reliable Power Plants
View the 1940s - 1980s Timeline
1965 | Bethel-Round Butte Transmission Line
Building Reliable Power Plants
Learn about Bethel-Round Butte Transmission Line
1956 | Timothy Lake
Expansion of the Clackamas River Hydroelectric Project
View the 1940s - 1980s Timeline
1956 | Frog Lake
Expansion of the Clackamas River Hydroelectric Project
View the 1940s - 1980s Timeline
1953 | PGE Parks & Recreation
Expansion of the Clackamas River Hydroelectric Project
View the 1940s - 1980s Timeline
1909 | Electric Building
Constructing Hydropower on the Clackamas River
View the 1860s - 1930s Timeline
1911 | The Milliken Transmission Line
Constructing Hydropower on the Clackamas River
Learn about The Milliken Transmission Line
1907 | Faraday Powerhouse (Station G)
Constructing Hydropower on the Clackamas River
View the 1860s - 1930s Timeline
1911 | River Mill Powerhouse (Station M)
Constructing Hydropower on the Clackamas River
View the 1860s - 1930s Timeline
1924 | Three Lynx Village
Constructing Hydropower on the Clackamas River
Learn about Three Lynx Village
1924 | Oak Grove Powerhouse (Station P)
Constructing Hydropower on the Clackamas River
View the 1860s - 1930s Timeline
1895 | T.W. Sullivan Powerhouse (Station B)
Willamette Falls: the birthplace of an electric Oregon & PGE
Learn about Station B
1889 | Willamette Falls Powerhouse (Station A)
Willamette Falls: the birthplace of an electric Oregon & PGE
Learn about Station A
1868 | Willamette Falls Canal and Locks Company
Willamette Falls: the birthplace of an electric Oregon & PGE
View the 1860s - 1930s Timeline
Show All
A Thoughtful Transition
1990s - Present
Powering Progress
1940s - 1980s
Electrifying Oregon
1860s - 1930s