Portland General Electric (PGE) and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are moving forward with a regulatory process that could reshape operational conditions at one of Central Oregon's most significant energy facilities: the Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric Project on the Deschutes River north of Madras.
The two co-owners filed a joint non-capacity license amendment with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on June 22, 2026. The filing represents a collaborative step in managing the complex, which consists of three interconnected dams — Round Butte, Pelton, and the Reregulating Dam — that together produce renewable hydroelectric power while managing flows on a stretch of the Deschutes River with deep cultural and economic significance to the Warm Springs Tribe.
A Partnership Decades in the Making
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs hold a 50 percent ownership stake in the Pelton Round Butte project — a landmark arrangement that emerged from the facility's 2005 FERC relicensing process, widely regarded as one of the most comprehensive hydroelectric relicensings in Oregon history.
That 2005 agreement included major environmental commitments, most notably the construction of a selective water withdrawal tower at Round Butte Dam. The tower allows operators to draw water from optimal depths in the reservoir to support temperature and oxygen conditions for migrating anadromous fish — salmon and steelhead — that the tribes depend on both culturally and economically.
What a Non-Capacity Amendment Means
Non-capacity license amendments modify the operational or environmental terms of a federal hydroelectric license without changing the facility's authorized power-generating capacity. They are typically used to update conditions, clarify obligations, or respond to changed circumstances — and require FERC review and public notice before becoming effective.
The key milestone in the current process will be FERC's official decision on the amendment request. While the specific terms of the amendment were not fully detailed in publicly available filings this week, the joint application underscores the continued working relationship between PGE and the tribe on one of Jefferson County's most important infrastructure assets.
Why It Matters Locally
The Pelton Round Butte complex plays a central role in the Deschutes River ecosystem and in the livelihoods of Jefferson County residents and Warm Springs tribal members alike. The Deschutes River corridor downstream of the dams — stretching north toward the Columbia — has been the focus of extensive salmon and steelhead restoration work by the tribes, the state of Oregon, and federal agencies for more than two decades.
For the broader Central Oregon region, the facility also represents a significant source of renewable, carbon-free electricity — power that flows into the Pacific Northwest grid and supports the region's clean energy goals.
Interested parties can follow the FERC amendment proceedings through the agency's public docket system at ferc.gov, or contact PGE or the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs directly for more information.