Warren Buffett touts Klamath Dam removal MOU

PacifiCorp, Klamath River Renewable Corporation, Yurok and Karuk Tribal leaders and the governors of Oregon and California signed a memorandum this week calling for the removal of the Klamath Dam, the largest hydroelectric removal project in history. 

The 169 MW Klamath projects, which have a capacity of 716 GWh of electricity annually, is made up of seven hydroelectric and one non-generating dam. The parties signed a settlement agreement in 2016, which sets the terms of the dam removal, although the entities hit a roadblock in July when FERC insisted PacifiCorp remain on the license agreement. Tuesday’s MOU calls for transferring the ownership license from PacifiCorp to the states of California, Oregon and KRRC, and the ultimate removal of four dams. The MOA currently awaits FERC approval. 

“We appreciate and respect our tribal partners for their collaboration in forging an agreement that delivers an exceptional outcome for the river, as well as future generations,” Berkshire Hathaway Chair Warren Buffett said in a statement. “Working together from this historic moment, we can complete the project and remove these dams.”

In order to relicense the dams, PacifiCorp would have needed to add fish ladders to protect the river's salmon population, which would have resulted in an additional cost to the utility and lowered Kamath's generating capacity. 

Of the six operating dams, two are used to manage water levels and the rest to produce electricity, although Pacific Power (a PacifiCorp subsidiary) Regional Manager Toby Freeman noted in 2016 that the dams only produce about half of their potential capacity. Dave Meurer, community liaison at KRRC, added that the Klamath dams make up less than 2 percent of Pacific Power’s overall energy portfolio. 

PacifiCorp did not respond to a request for comment on replacing the dam’s electricity. The utility is currently in the midst of adding 3 GW of electricity following a 2020 All-Source RFP. A preliminary study on the RFP showed that 80 percent of the solar bids submitted were located in Oregon. 

Meurer was unsure whether the removal of the Klamath dams would result in additional hydroelectric removal in the Pacific Northwest, as he said KRRC was an entity solely created for the removal of the Klamath dams. However, he told New Project Media that additional dam removal advocates would certainly be paying attention to the removal project and could potentially learn from the experience.  

Hydroelectricity, though, has long been a keystone of the Pacific Northwest, making up over half of the electricity generated in Oregon, and has only been signaled to grow with the development of long-duration pumped storage. In 2016, a report from the US Department of Energy found that hydropower in the US could grow to as much as 101 GW by 2050. In October, advocates and developers also reached an agreement calling for the acceleration of hydropower development, improved FERC licensing and hydropower flexibility. 

“The Joint Statement of Collaboration on U.S. Hydropower: Climate Solution and Conservation Challenge and the work of the past two and half years offers a roadmap for how to address long-standing barriers to addressing climate change and healthy rivers and ecosystems at powered and non-powered dams," General Counsel at Energy Future’s Initiative Jeanette Pablo said following the agreement.