Power
The State Water Project requires dependable, economical power to pump water
to areas served by the Project’s contractors. Since 1984 SWP power requirements
have ranged from more than 8 billion kilowatthours a year, as in 1990, to under
4 billion kwh, as in 1995.
Today the SWP is one of
larger energy producers and a major consumer of electricity. How much power SWP
facilities consume depends on contractor requests for water and the amount of water
available for delivery.
The SWP’s flexible pumping operations helps it to manage its power needs. This
flexibility is allowed by Project reservoirs, which temporarily store water
until it is needed to meet the daily and seasonal demands of its contracting
agencies.
Source: California Department of Water Resources
