Power supplies

SMUD gets its electricity from diverse and competitively priced resources, including:

Hydro generation
Cogeneration plants
Advanced and renewable technologies such as wind, solar and biomass/landfill gas power
Power purchased on the wholesale market

The District also has arrangements with the California Independent System Operator (although SMUD is not a member of the ISO), Western Systems Power Pool and Northern California Power Pool to purchase and sell short-term power based on current market conditions. Throughout the year, the District buys and sells energy and capacity on a short-term basis to meet load requirements and reduce costs.

Green power

Over the next 10 years, SMUD will significantly increase the amount of power it gets from non-hydro renewable resources. It will keep SMUD's power mix one of the cleanest in the country. More

Power Content Label

The Power Content Label compares SMUD's generated and purchased power to the State of California power mix. Click here for more

Cosumnes Power Plant

To offer the best electricity price and greatest reliability for its customers, SMUD received approval from the California Energy Commission to build the first phase of the 500-megawatt Cosumnes Power Plant. The gas-fired plant, which came on line in 2006, provides enough power to meet the annual needs of 450,000 single-family homes.

Hydro relicensing

SMUD's Upper American River Project (UARP), consisting of 11 reservoirs and eight powerhouses, generates enough electricity to meet nearly 15 percent of SMUD's customer demand. In a normal water year, the UARP provides roughly 1.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity -- enough energy to power about 180,000 homes.

The operation and maintenance of the many UARP project facilities are regulated under a license granted to SMUD by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). SMUD was granted an extension in 2007 to continue UARP operations while the relicensing process moves forward. More