Tulsa District recognizes National Hydropower Day, highlights role in regional energy reliability

Courtesy Photo | The switchyard at the powerhouse at Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam 15 is illuminated against the evening sky Sept. 21, 2023. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District operates and maintains eight hydroelectric power plants with 22 generating units capable of producing 525 megawatts of electricity. Power generated at Tulsa District projects is marketed by the Southwestern Power Administration and helps support energy needs across the region. These plants benefit approximately 2 million end users in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Louisiana. (U.S. Army photo by Brian Echols)  

TULSA, OKLAHOMA, UNITED STATES

08.18.2026

Story by Stacey Reese 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District

TULSA, Okla. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District will recognize National Hydropower Day Aug. 24 by highlighting the district’s role in providing reliable, renewable hydropower to communities across the region.

  Tulsa District operates and maintains eight hydroelectric power plants with 22 generating units capable of producing 525 megawatts of electricity. Seven of the plants are located in eastern Oklahoma, with one located just across the state line in Texas. 

  “Hydropower gives us the ability to respond quickly when electricity demand increases,” said Beau Biffle, deputy chief of operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District. “Our plants are part of a larger regional system, and the work our employees do every day helps ensure those generating units are available when Southwestern Power Administration calls on them.”

  The electricity generated at Tulsa District projects is marketed by the Southwestern Power Administration as part of a federal hydropower system serving customers across the region. These plants benefit approximately 2 million end users in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Louisiana.

  Hydropower’s ability to respond quickly to changes in electricity demand makes it particularly valuable during periods of peak demand, including the hot summer months.

  For more than 140 years, the USACE Hydropower Program has provided the nation with reliable and resilient energy. USACE is the largest owner and operator of hydroelectric power plants in the United States, generating more than 25% of the nation’s hydropower and ranking among the nation’s top 10 power producers overall.

  "On this National Hydropower Day, the Trump Administration celebrates the amazing clean energy that powers our great nation's communities," said Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle.  "By Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork (BINP), the U.S. Army is eliminating bureaucratic delays and making it easier to leverage Public-Private Energy Partnerships that modernize our vital American hydropower infrastructure and deliver bountiful amounts of renewable energy to the grid."

  For more information about the USACE Tulsa District Hydropower Program, visit: https://www.swt.usace.army.mil/Missions/Hydropower/

• Date Taken: 08.18.2026
• Date Posted: 08.18.2026 13:15
• Story ID: 572661
• Location: TULSA, OKLAHOMA, US