Keswick Dam is a 157-foot-high concrete gravity dam, with a crest length of 1,046 feet, constructed nine miles downstream from Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River. Keswick Dam acts as an afterbay dam controlling river fluctuations from the Shasta Powerplant. Water released from Shasta Dam downstream to the Keswick Reservoir is stored for release through Keswick Dam and Powerplant. With steady releases from Keswick Dam, managers are able to regulate the flows of the Sacramento River downstream. Keswick Power Plant has three generators with a rated capacity of 105 megawatts.; the units were uprated in 1992.
Plan
Keswick Powerplant is a run-of-the-river plant which is dedicated first to meeting the energy requirements of the project facilities. The remaining energy is marketed to various preference customers in northern California. The plant augments local loads during system disturbances.
General
NERC Region
Western Electricity Coordinating Council, California-So. Nevada Power Area
PMA Service Area
Western Area Power Administration, Sierra Nevada Region
Plant Type
Conventional
Powerhouse Type
Above Ground
Turbine Type
Francis
Original Nameplate Capacity
75,000 kW
Installed Capacity
117,000 kW
Year of Initial Operation
1949
Age
58 years
Rated Head
78 ft
Plant Factor
41 percent
Production Mode
Intermediate
Remotely Operated
No
River
Sacramento River
Contact
Owner
Title: Area Office Manager Organization: Northern California Area Office Address: 16349 Shasta Dam Boulevard City: Shasta Lake, CA 96019 Phone: 530-247-8500
Operator
Title: Area Office Manager Organization: Northern California Area Office Address: 16349 Shasta Dam Boulevard City: Shasta Lake, CA 96019 Phone: 530-247-8500
More Information about the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation