GUERNSEY POWERPLANT
Guernsey Powerplant
| Contact: | Susan Kelly Chief, Operations and Maintenance Division Wyoming Area Office P.O. Box 1630 Mills, WY 82644 |
| Telephone Numbers: | Phone: (307) 261-5605 Fax: (307) 261-5683 |
| E-Mail Address: | skelly@gp.usbr.gov |
| Reclamation Region: | Great Plains |
| NERC Region: | Western Electricity Coordinating Council, Rocky Mountain Power Area |
| PMA Service Area: | Western Area Power Administration, Rocky Mountain Region |
| Project Authorization: | The Secretary of the Interior authorized the project on March 14, 1903. The President approved the Guernsey Dam and Powerplant on April 30, 1925 as a part of the North Platte Project, which was originally called the Sweetwater Project. |
| Project Purposes: | The North Platte Project provides full service irrigation for about 226,000 acres. The North Platte River, fed by many mountain streams rising in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming, is the most important river in southeastern Wyoming and western Nebraska. Its waters are stored and used for irrigation and power development. |
| Plant Purpose: | The Guernsey Dam controls river flow. Water released from Pathfinder Reservoir can be stored at this dam and released to fit varying irrigation demands. Water is released through Guernsey Powerplant. |
| Plant Facts: | The powerplant is on the right bank below the dam and has two 3,200-kilowatt generators. Power is transmitted to towns and industries down the valley over transmission lines. The electric power generated at Guernsey Powerplant is supplied to the project area by four substations and about 160 miles of transmission lines. Guernsey Powerplant is operated on a seasonal basis during the release of irrigation flows to satisfy downstream demands on the North Platte River in Wyoming and Nebraska. |
| Plant History: | Construction of Guernsey Powerplant began in 1925 and was completed in 1928. The original installed capacity of the plant was 4,800 kilowatts. The plant was uprated between 1992 and 1994 through replacement of the generator windings to its current installed capacity of 6,400 kilowatts. |
| Present Activities: | An emergency contract was awarded and completed in FY 2003 for stabilization of rock on the hillside above the powerplant and transformer deck to prevent a potentially catastrophic rockslide that might have damaged the powerplant and transformers and resulted in an oil spill into the North Platte River. |
| Future Planned Activities: | A replacement wicket gate greasing system was designed in FY 2004 and the new system will be installed in FY 2005. |
| Special Issues: | Units were rewound, new excitation equipment was installed, and major overhaul of both turbines occurred in calendar years 1993 and 1994, which accounts for high production costs in FY-1994. The switchyard at Guernsey was removed and replaced by Western Limestone substation in 1980 and 1981. |
| River: | North Platte River |
| Plant Type: | Conventional |
| Powerhouse Type: | Above Ground |
| Turbine Type: | Francis |
| Original Nameplate Capacity: | 4,800 kW |
| Installed Capacity: | 6,400 kW |
| Year of Initial Operation: | 1927 |
| Age: | 78 years |
| Net Generation: (FY 2005) |
12,108,622 kWh |
| Rated Head: | 70 feet |
| Plant Factor: (FY 2005) |
22.08 percent (seasonal) |
| Remotely Operated: | Yes |
| Production Mode: | Intermediate |
Click here for graphs and charts of Guernsey Powerplant performance.
Click here for information on the Guernsey Dam.
Click here for information on the North Platte Project.
Revised December 30, 2005 Hydropower Site Map Help