PALISADES
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 176 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Bonneville County
- Operator
- U S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1957
- EIA plant ID
- 850
- Generators
- 4
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 744 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 48%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 43.3349, -111.2057
PALISADES, a 176 MW Hydro power plant in Bonneville County, Idaho. Operated by U S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, commissioned 1957.
How PALISADES compares
With 176 MW of capacity, PALISADES ranks 7th among the 123 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Idaho and 4th of the 70 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 7.0% of Idaho's operating Hydro capacity and 3.6% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 101st-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1957, it is older than 76% of the 121 operating Idaho plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, U S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, runs 5 operating plants in Idaho totaling 258 MW. It shares Bonneville County with 9 other operating plants, including GOSHEN PHASE II and MEADOW CREEK PROJECT COMPANY.
EIA-860 lists 4 generators at the site with 176 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 744 GWh in 2024 (a 48% capacity factor), up 34% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1957 and 1958.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is PALISADES (115 kV), about 0.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION, under 0.1 miles away.
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
PALISADES is a 176 MW hydro power plant in Bonneville County, ID, operated by U S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, commissioned in 1957. Bonneville County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.6 of 5 at the 64th national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 94th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a hydro plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Bonneville County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 94th | 4.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 92nd | 4.7 of 5 | 0.03 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | 0.43 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 53rd | 3.1 of 5 | 0.61 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 45th | 2.8 of 5 | 0.65 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 31st | 2.2 of 5 | 36.0 |
| Ice storm | Very Low | 17th | 1.7 of 5 | 0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | 0.76 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 11th | 1.4 of 5 | 0.18 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 24.3 |
Perils not assessed in Bonneville County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Bonneville County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.