WASHINGTON, 19th April, 2024 (WAM) -- Last year, U.S. hydropower electricity generation fell to its lowest since 2001. This year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects hydropower to increase 6% and account for 250 billion kilowatthours of electricity generation in the power sector, based on forecasts in the Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO).
‘’We expect hydropower to increase in nearly every part of the country, with notable increases in the Southeast and in the Northwest and Rockies. We expect other regions with significant hydropower generation to either increase slightly, such as in New York, or remain about the same, such as in California, according to STEO.
More hydropower is generated in the Northwest and Rockies region than any other region of the country: in 2023, 43% of all U.S. hydropower generation occurred in this region. However, last year’s hydropower output was the region’s lowest since at least 2010. Water supply, particularly in Washington and Oregon, was affected by a May heatwave that quickly melted the snowpack and reduced water supply for the rest of the year.
‘’We expect hydropower to account for 29% of the Northwest and Rockies region’s electricity generation this year. We expect the increased output from hydropower resources and nonhydro renewables to reduce electricity generation from natural gas and coal.''
STEO.expects hydropower to account for 5% of electricity generation in the Southeast in 2024. Natural gas and nuclear energy are the two largest sources of electricity generation in the Southeast, and we expect both to increase in 2024.