The native people have set up their own public utility, Yakama Power, which will become a power purchaser on the scheme along with 22 other organisations. Grant County PUD is to market the electricity on behalf of Yakama Power until 2015.
Stepping down from an initial 20MW to 15MW and then 10MW, the utility said that the annual revenues due to Yakama nation under the deal could range from US$2M-US$8M.
The deal will see Grant County PUD receive in return an entitlement to a certain proportion of the tribe’s renewable energy credits for the first 75MW of any project developed by the tribe. In addition, it will have first refusal at participation in joint power ventures, such as a hydro scheme at Cle Elum dam.
Grant’s agreement with the tribe is part of the licensing agreement to operate the Priest rapids and Wanapum dams on the Columbia river in the Pacific northwest region of the US. The dams have hydro facilities that generate 2GW per year.
