Grand Coulee

The Grand Coulee Dam, with a capacity of 6.8 GW, is the largest hydropower plant in the United States. It is one of the world's largest concrete structures and is located on the Columbia River west of Spokane, Washington.

The power plant has four powerhouses, the largest of which is the Nathaniel Washington Power Plant, which produces up to 21 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year. The main goals of Grand Coulee, which was built as part of the larger Columbia Basin Project, are hydropower, irrigation, and flood control. Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, three power plants, a pump-generating facility, and four switch-yards are all part of the Columbia Basin Project. Idaho, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, California, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado receive power generated by the project. The Grand Coulee Dam project provides electricity to 4.2 million residences in the United States each year.

Location: the Columbia River west of Spokane, Washington, USA

Construction began: July 16, 1933

Opening date: June 1, 1942

Electricity generation capacity: 6.8GW