Concerns over a possible hydro power deficit this summer, driven by drought conditions in the west, may be overblown insofar as the impact on power markets and natural gas fired generation is concerned. While reservoir and snowpack levels remain low in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, things are looking much more positive in the Pacific Northwest and in the Colorado River Basin. The PNW (via Bonneville Power Administration) is the gorilla of the three regions, and it is beginning this year with early strength, moving ahead of 2013 output recently.
