Palisades Dam
Hydro power plant · Bonneville County, Idaho
Nameplate capacity
176 MW
Rank in Idaho
#8
of 155 plants
In service since
1957
February 1957
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- U S Bureau of Reclamation
- County
- Bonneville County
- Generating units
- 4
- Share of state capacity
- 2.68%
- Rank among hydro plants in Idaho
- #4 of 76
- EIA plant code
- 850
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 44 MW | 44 MW | 1957 | Operating |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 44 MW | 44 MW | 1957 | Operating |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 44 MW | 44 MW | 1957 | Operating |
| 4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 44 MW | 44 MW | 1958 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in Idaho
| Cabinet Gorge | Hydro | 265 MW |
| Matrix Pleasant Valley | Solar | 200 MW |
| Bennett Mountain | Natural gas | 173 MW |
| Rathdrum | Natural gas | 166 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 176 MW solar plant and a 176 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All Idaho power plants · What Idaho actually generates