Camp Far West Dam Hydroelectric Project

The Camp Far West Hydroelectric Project is located on the Bear River at the confluence of Nevada, Yuba, and Placer Counties, California near Beale Air Force Base. The 6.8 megawatt (MW) project came on-line and produced its first commercial power on February 1, 1985.  HTE Engineering’s manufacturing team supplied the turbine, generator, and auxiliary equipment for the project.

Camp Far West hydropower facility consists of a single vertical Francis turbine unit with a design head of 132 feet and a design flow of 674 cfs.  Through this system, an average of 124,500 acre feet annually is diverted through the turbine, delivering power to some 20,000 homes while reducing pressure to provide irrigation below the dam.  Since going online in 1985 this single 6.8 MW turbine unit has produced around 1,560 GWh of power.