The key objective of this project is evaluate the benefits of greater coordination between middle columbia (mid-c) hydropower (hydro) facility owners and operators (participants), with and without the…

The Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy awarded Avista Corporation a $1.306 million Cooperative Agreement (DEEE0011658) on January 1, 2026 under the Renewable Energy Research and Development program (CFDA 81.087) to evaluate coordination benefits among Middle Columbia hydropower facility owners and operators.

Avista will develop a detailed database of Middle Columbia River Project operations and deliver an instance of the Advanced Decision Support System (ADSS) software package for grid management. The outputs are designed to support either a new cooperative organization formed by participating facility owners or an existing entity such as the Western Power Pool. The evaluation will assess coordination benefits both with and without the proposed Banks Lake Pump-Hydro Project at Banks Lake.

Work is performed in Spokane, Washington with a period of performance through September 30, 2027.

The key objective of this project is evaluate the benefits of greater coordination between middle columbia (mid-c) hydropower (hydro) facility owners and operators (participants), with and without the proposed banks lake pump-hydro project (blph) at banks lake. The output will include a detailed database of the mid-columbia river project operations that can be offered, along with an instance of the adss software package, either to a new cooperative organization of the parties interested in coordination or potentially to an existing entity offering similar services, such as the western power pool.