Features

SACRAMENTO — California’s hydroelectricity plants should produce about 85 percent of their normal power this summer, the California Energy Commission projected Thursday. 

Nearly 13 percent of the state’s power will be generated by in-state dams and powerhouses, the commission predicted. That’s up from less than 10 percent last summer, when short hydroelectricity supplies across the Pacific Northwest helped contribute to a series of rolling blackouts. 

By contrast, Washington state had near record precipitation this winter, the commission said. 

While Southern California has received just 30 percent of its normal winter precipitation, most of the state’s hydro production occurs in Northern California, which had near-normal rain and snow. 

Runoff into the 13 rivers that produce most of the state’s hydroelectricity is estimated at 84 percent of normal.