History

Operation of this plant began in October, 1994.

The Secretary of the Interior authorized the Shoshone Project on February 10, 1904, under authority of the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902.

Floodwaters of the Shoshone River are stored in Buffalo Bill Reservoir for later release for irrigation and power generation. Power is developed at the Shoshone, Heart Mountain, Buffalo Bill, and Spirit Mountain Powerplants. The system is interconnected with the West Division of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program.

Plan

The primary purpose of the Spirit Mountain Powerplant is to dissipate energy of the water from the pressurized supply conduit from Buffalo Bill Reservoir before it enters the unpressurized supply canal which feeds the Heart Mountain Powerplant and the Heart Mountain Canal. The secondary purpose of the powerplant is to produce electrical power. Spirit Mountain Powerplant consists of one 4,500-kilowatt generator. Operation of this plant began in October, 1994. This plant cannot operate unless the downstream Shoshone conduit is watered up. As a result of the modification of Buffalo Bill Dam, Buffalo Bill and Shoshone Powerplants were completed in 1992. Due to the Revised Instream Flow Agreement associated with the reconstruction of the dam, winter releases previously discharged from Heart Mountain Powerplant that would have passed through spirit Mountain Powerplant are now made through the two upstream facilities. As a result, Spirit Mountain Powerplant has been operated on a seasonal basis since its completion in 1995. Western Electricity Coordinating Council, Rocky Mountain Power Area Western Area Power Administration, Rocky Mountain Region Conventional Above Ground Francis 4,500 kW 4,500 kW 1994 19 years 16,136,200 kWh 2007 110 ft

General