2019 Fuel Mix report
Public Power has its privileges. Besides local ownership and local control, being a publicly owned electric utility allows the PUD to purchase nearly carbon free electricity from the federally owned Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). Prior to going public in 2013, the largest share of Jefferson County’s electricity came from coal-burning power plants, and more than 60% of its power was generated by fossil fuels. In 2019, more than 83% of the electricity the PUD purchased from the BPA came from river water flowing through turbines at the dams on the Columbia River. 11.45% of our power was generated by a nuclear power plant in the Tri-Cities. Added together, nearly 95% of Jefferson County’s power comes from carbon-free, non-fossil fuel burning sources. That makes Jefferson County’s power some of the cleanest and greenest in the nation.
