Comment by bespokedevelopr

12 hours ago

FWIW you can go back and look at historical data rather than rely on a snapshot of 2022 written in April.

Basically it’s complicated. Some areas did experience extreme droughts that year and others faired well.

BPA was able to lever up their reserves early due to those same forecasts which allowed them excess supply to sell when other utilities experienced extreme heat (drought) and couldn’t produce enough.

> Notably, Bonneville was able to offer much needed support to other Pacific Northwest and California utilities during late-summer heatwaves and scarcity events. Our hydropower operations planners and traders positioned the power system to maximize supply, enabling us to deliver significant amounts of power across the West to help keep the lights on during a string of energy emergencies.