Today, many of
Reclamation=s 58
powerplants are used to meet
peak electrical energy
demands, rather than
operating around the clock to
meet the total daily demand.
Increasing use of other
energy-producing
powerplants in the future
will not make hydroelectric
powerplants obsolete or
unnecessary. On the
contrary, hydropower can be
even more important. While
nuclear or fossil-fuel
powerplants can provide
baseloads, hydroelectric
powerplants can deal more
economically with varying
peakload demands. This is a
job they are well suited for.