Hydropower Reform Coalition - Massachusetts

More Hydropower Projects Seek LIHI Certification

Rupak Thapaliya — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:46:20 -0600

Project: Merwin : P-935 | Bear River : P-20 | Cutler Plant : P-2420

The last day of 2009 saw seven hydropower projects filing their application for certification with the Low Impact Hydropower Institute. In 2009 alone, the Institute issued certifications for nine projects throughout the country. So far, there are 46 LIHI certified projects in 24 states.

Of the seven newest projects seeking LIHI certification, five are owned by PacifiCorp. The seven projects are:

PacifiCorp’s Lewis River Projects (P-935, P-2071, and P-2111) in Washington
PacifiCorp’s Bear River Project (P-20) in Idaho
PacifiCorp’s Cutler Project (P-2420) in Utah
PacifiCorp’s Prospect No. 3 Project (P-2337) in Oregon
PacifiCorp’s Ashton Project (P-2381) in Idaho
TransCanada Hydro’s Deerfield River Project (P-2323) in Vermont and Massachusetts, and
Brookfield’s Fife Brook Project (P-2323) in Vermont and Massachusetts

LIHI is seeking public comments by March 3, 2010. More information on each of the projects and instructions on how to submit comments are available at www.lowimpacthydro.org.

LIHI provides certification to projects based on eight key areas:

river flows,
water quality,
fish passage and protection,
watershed protection,
threatened and endangered species protection,
cultural resource protection,
recreation, and
facilities recommended for removal.

According to LIHI, Certification is designed to provide consumers with assurance that a facility has avoided or reduced their environmental impacts.

Northeastern utilities seek to import hydroelectricity from Canada

Rupak Thapaliya — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:05:45 -0600

In a petition submitted last week, two utilities in New England have requested FERC to approve construction of a transmission tie line connecting New England with the Hydro-Québec system in Canada.

The utilities- Northeast Utilities Service Company and NSTAR Electric Company have already singed a Memorandum of Agreement with Hydro Québec for the construction of the transmission line to be designed to transmit at least 1,200 MW. The proposed transmission line would be used to deliver power generated from Hydro Québec's hydro facilities in Canada.

According to the press release by NSTAR, the companies are yet to negotiate terms of the power purchase agreement. The petition states that Hydro Québec is currently developing 4,000MW of new hydroelectric generation.

The import of hydroelectricity from Canada will take many northeastern states closer to their renewable energy goals established through the renewable portfolio standards (RPS).

St. Lawrence Hydro Will Receive Production Tax Credits

Rupak Thapaliya — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:21:49 -0600

Project: Lawrence : P-2800

St. Lawrence Hydroelectric project located on the Merrimack River in Lawrence, MA will now receive tax credits for electricity generation because of its recent efficiency upgrades.

In its application filed on Sep 29, Essex Company, the operator of the project stated that the existing wooden flashboards on the crest of the project's dam would be replaced with a modem inflatable crest gate system thereby increasing efficiency of the system and generating more electricity. This upgrade resulted in 6.7% increase in generation.

In an order issued today FERC certified the efficiency upgrade, which makes the project eligible for production tax credits (PTC) under Section 1301 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The Lawrence Hydroelectric Project is a 16.8 MW facility that utilizes the Essex dam also known as "Great Stone Dam," constructed in 1848. Last year, FERC had approved the installation of the crest gate system through an license amendment order.

FERC terminates a hydro license after 14 years of in-operation

Rupak Thapaliya — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:51:33 -0500

Project: Appleton Trust : P-9300

After 14 years of in-operation, FERC has terminated the license for Appleton Trust Hydropower Project (P-9300) on the Hamilton Canal in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The project, when it was operational before November 1994, had the capacity to produce 346 kW.

According to FERC, the project needed major repairs to resume operation and it had asked the licensee to perform the repairs and resume operations. However, the licensee failed to perform repairs or make a commitment to do so for a decade. Additionally, in July 2006, the City of Lowell had obtained the land in which the project was located, which effectively transferred the rights on the project land to the City.

In an order issued yesterday, FERC states

"The licensee's renewed interest in the project is too little, too late. The project has not operated for almost 14 years, and it needs major repairs and a power sales contract to resume operation. For over 10 years, Commission staff tried to work with the licensee, repeatedly asking for repair schedules and plans. Again and again, the licensee either failed to respond or responded by providing schedules for fixing the project that were never met.

Additionally, FERC states

Today, there is no evidence that the project is any closer to being able to resume operation than it was 14 years ago. In fact, the City's acquisition of the land and buildings by eminent domain makes any possibility of repairing the project and resuming operations even less likely.

FERC has the discretion to terminate a hydropower license by "implied surrender" if it deems that the licensee is not showing good faith to operate a project.

The project was located in the basement of what was formerly a six-story mill building. After the demolition of the building by the City in 2002, the generating equipment has been covered with collapsed building material.

American Rivers & NOAA now accepting proposals for river restoration grants

John Seebach — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:48:12 -0500

American Rivers seeks proposals for river restoration project grants as part of its partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Community-based Restoration Program. Program funding is provided through NOAA’s Open Rivers Initiative, which seeks to enable environmental and economic renewal in local communities through the removal of stream barriers.

This Partnership funds stream barrier removal projects that help restore riverine ecosystems, enhance public safety and community resilience, and have clear and identifiable benefits to diadromous fish populations. Diadromous fish migrate between freshwater and saltwater during their life cycle. Examples include alewife, American eel, American shad, blueback herring, salmon, steelhead, shortnose sturgeon and striped bass. Projects in the Northeast (ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI), Mid-Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA, DE, VA, MD, DC), Northwest (WA, OR, ID), and California are eligible to apply. Projects located within the St. Lawrence/Great Lakes Basin are not eligible for funding in the December 2007 grant round.

Eligible applications will be evaluated based upon four priority criteria:

Ecological merits of the project,
Technical feasibility of the project,
Benefits provided to the local community, and
Financial clarity and strength of the application.

Grants are provided for three distinct project phases: Feasibility Analysis, Engineering Design and Construction. Average grants are $25,000 - $50,000. Successful applicants for one project phase will not be eligible to receive additional funding for that same project phase in future grant rounds. See the Funding Guidelines for additional details.

Applications are currently being accepted for the first cycle of fiscal year 2008 with a deadline of December 3, 2007. Applications for projects must be postmarked by the deadline for consideration in this funding cycle. Potential applicants should contact American Rivers to discuss potential projects prior to submitting an application. Applicants can expect notification about funding decisions in early March 2008.

Obtain the Application for Financial Assistance and Funding Guidelines on the American Rivers web site.