 Aerial View | |
| Status | Active |
|---|---|
| Construction began | 1888 |
| Opening date | June 3, 1889 |
| Built by | Willamette Falls Electric Power (PGE) |
| Designed by | Willamette Falls Electric Power (PGE) |
| Owner(s) | Portland General Electric |
| Operator(s) | Portland General Electric |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Spillways | 2 |
| Station B (T. W. Sullivan) | |
| Coordinates | 45°21′05″N 122°37′11″W / 45.3514202°N 122.6196738°W |
| Pump-generators | Westinghouse, General Electric. |
| Website www.portlandgeneral.com | |
Portland General Electric's (PGE) T. W. Sullivan Hydroelectric Plant is a hydroelectric dam on the Willamette Falls built between 1888 and 1895. It is the source of the nation's first long-distance power transmission.[1] The plant first opened with Station A in 1889. In 1895 a second powerhouse was built on the same dam, Station B, and Station A was removed. Station B. In 1953 Station B was renamed after the engineer, Thomas Sullivan, who designed it and the nearby paper mills. The Willamette Falls Paper Company was on the northwest bank, whereas the Blue Heron paper mill was across the river in Oregon City. By that year, the plant was generating between 11,000 and 17,500 kilowatts, which it still does today.[2][3] PGE's Sullivan Plant at Willamette Falls is one of only a few dozen hydro-plants in the country officially designated as "Green."[4][5] In the 1920s a portion of the paper mill was put on top of the dam, which is still operating.
