History
Operation of this plant began in October, 1994.
The Secretary of the Interior authorized the Shoshone Project on February 10, 1904, under authority of the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902.
Floodwaters of the Shoshone River are stored in Buffalo Bill Reservoir for later release for irrigation and power generation. Power is developed at the Shoshone, Heart Mountain, Buffalo Bill, and Spirit Mountain power plants. The system is interconnected with the West Division of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program.
Plan
The primary purpose of the Spirit Mountain Power Plant is to dissipate energy of the water from the pressurized supply conduit from Buffalo Bill Reservoir before it enters the unpressurized supply canal which feeds the Heart Mountain Power Plant and the Heart Mountain Canal. The secondary purpose of the power plant is to produce electrical power. Spirit Mountain Power Plant consists of one 4,500-kilowatt generator. Operation of this plant began in October, 1994. This plant cannot operate unless the downstream Shoshone conduit is watered up. As a result of the modification of Buffalo Bill Dam, Buffalo Bill and Shoshone power plants were completed in 1992. Due to the Revised Instream Flow Agreement associated with the reconstruction of the dam, winter releases previously discharged from Heart Mountain Power Plant that would have passed through spirit Mountain Power Plant are now made through the two upstream facilities. As a result, Spirit Mountain Power Plant has been operated on a seasonal basis since its completion in 1995.
