LOWER BAKER

How LOWER BAKER compares

With 85 MW of capacity, LOWER BAKER ranks 55th among the 126 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Washington and 24th of the 65 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 0.4% of Washington's operating Hydro capacity and 0.3% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 203rd-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1960, it is older than 70% of the 125 operating Washington plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, PUGET SOUND ENERGY INC, runs 17 operating plants in Washington totaling 2,943 MW. It shares Skagit County with 3 other operating plants, including FREDONIA and MARCH POINT COGENERATION.

EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 104 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 85 MW). Net generation was 327 GWh in 2024 (a 36% capacity factor), up 3% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1960 and 2013.

Grid neighborhood

The nearest named substation is BAKER RIVER SWITCHING STATION (115 kV), about 0.2 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by PUGET SOUND ENERGY INC, under 0.1 miles away. Another 5 operating power plants totaling 331 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is GORGE (207 MW, Hydro). Within 50 miles is one mapped data center, CSSNW Bellingham in Bellingham, about 36.8 miles away.

Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records, EIA-860/923 survey data and PeeringDB data center locations; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology