- Reclamation
- CPN Region
- Grand Coulee Dam
- Nathaniel Washington Power Plant
Nathaniel "Nat" Washington Power Plant
The Nathaniel "Nat" Washington Power Plant was built in 1967 and is the largest of the four powerhouses located at Grand Coulee Dam. Designed by famous architect, Marcel Breuer, the plant has a unique design reflecting a Brutalist architectural style. The powerplant was built from 1967 – 1975 with the six generating units installed over the following five years.
The plant contains three generating units rated at 600 MW and three units rated at 805MW, resulting in a total capacity of 4,215 MW. The average power generation at Grand Coulee is 21 billion kWH per year. The generation capacity of the Nathaniel “Nat” Washington Power Plant is about 2/3 of the total generation capacity at Grand Coulee Dam. When the Nathaniel “Nat” Washington Power Plant was completed and the last generating unit went into service in 1980, Grand Coulee was the largest hydropower plant in the world. Two of the generating units in the Nathaniel “Nat” Washington Power Plant can supply a city the size of Seattle with all its power needs for a year.
| Related Links |
| Grand Coulee Dam |
| Grand Coulee Powerplant |
| Columbia Basin Project |
| Animation of Activities at Grand Coulee Dam's Nathaniel Washington Power Plant |
Contact
Grand Coulee Visitor Center
(509) 633-9265
pninfo@usbr.gov
