World Power Plants

Big Cliff is an 18 MW hydro power plant in the United States, operated by USACE Northwestern Division since 1955. Ranked #508 of 1469 hydro plants in the United States. Its 18 MW represents 0.02% of the country's total hydro capacity of 117,947 MW. The largest hydro plant in the United States is the Grand Coulee Dam at 6,809 MW, making Big Cliff 378 times smaller. Nearby plants within 50 km include Detroit (100 MW, Hydro), Green Peter (80 MW, Hydro), and Oak Grove (51 MW, Hydro). The facility is located in Oregon, approximately 90 km southeast of Portland.

Capacity
18 MW
Commissioning Year
1955

71 years old

Owner
USACE Northwestern Division
Location
44.7514°, -122.2832°

United States of America, North America

Context & rankings
  • 4,139. largest of 10,098 plants in United States of America
  • #20,292 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #4,616 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
Age & fleet comparison

71 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

USACE Northwestern Division operates 21 plants totalling 13,111 MW

Regional density

57 plants within 100 km, 1,264 MW combined

Nearest plant: Detroit (4.1 km)

Location

Coordinates:: 44.751400, -122.283200
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Big Cliff is a hydro power plant producing approximately 63 GWh of clean electricity per year with zero direct CO₂ emissions during operation.

Lifecycle emissions: ~24 g CO₂/kWh (manufacturing, transport, decommissioning)

Technical Details

Primary Fuel Type
Hydro
Energy Source
Renewable
Country
United States of America
Continent
North America
Data Source
Global Power Plant Database

United States of AmericaEnergy Profile

10,098
Total Plants
1420.7 GW
Total Capacity
GasCoalNuclearWind
Top Fuels

See Incorrect or Missing Data?

Help us improve our database by reporting any corrections or updates. Your contribution helps keep our global power plant data accurate and up-to-date.