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Congress considers ORNL-led report about climate impacts on federal hydropower

An assessment led by Water Power Program researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory evaluated how climate change might impact the operations of federally-owned hydropower facilities, like the Hoover Dam, which is pictured above. Credit: Bureau of Reclamation

Federal lawmakers recently reviewed an assessment spearheaded by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which examined how global climate change may affect the operations of the 132 hydropower plants owned and run by the federal government. 

The report, Effects of Climate Change on Federal Hydropower: The Third Report to Congress December 2023, was presented by U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Hydropower is a key contributor to the nation’s renewable energy portfolio, supporting the grid by filling in the gaps between traditional sources of electricity and intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar. 

The aim of the assessment was to provide information to help government stakeholders better understand and anticipate climate change impacts that may affect sustainable hydropower electricity generation, and determine what operational changes might be made to mitigate them. It was created in consultation with federal power marketing administrations and other water-energy agencies.

The third assessment, led by ORNL’s Shih-Chieh Kao, was conducted from 2018 to 2022, and is the latest document to result from a long-term study mandated by the SECURE Water Act of 2009 Section 9505. ORNL conducted the first 9505 Climate Change Impact Assessment from 2010 to 2012, and the second assessment from 2013 to 2017. 

Progress continues, as a fourth assessment has begun. This study will build upon accomplishments in previous assessments by continuing to innovate and refine climate projections and models. The DOE has also been working with non-federal hydropower stakeholders, particularly small utilities, which may not have the resources to model and evaluate climate risks, to understand what climate data and research may be needed to best support them. 

This research was supported by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office.