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Nuclear power in the Northwest

1972 Ð Washington Public Power Supply System, or WPPSS, sells bonds to finance building five nuclear power plants in Washington state. The consortium of 16 public utilities is supported by the Bonneville Power Administration, the region's largest supplier of electricity.

1981 Ð Washington voters pass Initiative 394, which requires a public vote for publicly financed nuclear plants.

1982 Ð WNP-1, a nuclear plant near Hanford Nuclear Reservation that is two-thirds complete, is mothballed.

1983 Ð WPPSS defaults on $2.2 billion worth of bonds, then the largest municipal bond debt in history.

1984 Ð WNP-2 at Hanford, or the Columbia Generating Station, goes on line. It produces 1200 megawatts, enough power to serve Portland and its suburbs.

1993 Ð Trojan, Oregon's only nuclear plant, closes due to cost overruns.

1999 Ð WPPSS changes name to Energy Northwest, pursues wind and solar energy projects.

Winter 2000-2001 Ð A low-water year and California's botched energy deregulation send power prices skyrocketing, prompting numerous calls for new power plants, including nuclear.

March 2001 Ð Energy Northwest decides to study completing WNP-1.

December 2001 Ð Energy Northwest hires the Goldschmidt Imeson consulting firm to seek investors in the nuclear industry.

April 2002 Ð Goldschmidt Imeson report due to Energy Northwest.

2018 Ð WPPSS bonds scheduled to be paid off.

ÑÊBen Jacklet