Renovation Marries History, Technology and Environment

摘要

Thirty miles from Seattle, in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, flows Snoqualmie Falls, a magnificent 30-story cascading waterfall that attracts 2 million visitors each year. Hidden beneath this natural marvel lies a 115-year-old engineering marvel - the world's first underground hydroelectric power plant. Puget Sound Energy's (PSE) historic Snoqualmie Falls project is home to two power plants. Plant 1 was built in 1898 inside a bedrock cavity 260 feet below ground at the edge of the falls. The second powerhouse, Plant 2, a quarter-mile downstream from the falls, was built in 1910 and expanded in 1957. The facility is a vital piece of the company's generation and renewable energy portfolio. It's also been PSE's lowest cost power provider, but like many hydro plants around the U.S., it was showing its age. The plant needed upgrades to improve efficiency, capacity and safety.