Last year melting snowpacks have created a problem for the BPA when it coincided with strong winds in the northwest. As a result, the BPA avoided overloading the grid but was forced to give away surplus power to other utilities.
As environmental concerns mean it is difficult to divert water around the turbines, this year the BPA is looking at shutting down the wind farms if the situation repeated itself. Although it said this would only be as a last resort.
Many project owners, including Puget Sound Energy, said they would seek compensation if this happened.
Speaking to the Seattle Times, a BPA spokesman said: "We’re looking at doing everything we can to avoid the shutdowns but you have to be able to do something when your back is against the wall."
