Columbia Generating Station
Nuclear power plant · Benton County, Washington
Details
- Primary fuel
- Nuclear
- Technology
- Nuclear
- Operator
- Energy Northwest- Columbia
- County
- Benton County
- Generating units
- 1
- Share of state capacity
- 3.78%
- Rank among nuclear plants in Washington
- #1 of 1
- EIA plant code
- 371
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Nuclear | 1,200 MW | 1,151 MW | 1984 | 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 Washington
| Rocky Reach | Hydro | 1,349 MW |
| Wanapum | Hydro | 1,220 MW |
| Boundary | Hydro | 1,160 MW |
| Priest Rapids | Hydro | 950 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 1,200 MW solar plant and a 1,200 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 Washington power plants · What Washington actually generates