Hydropower Reform Coalition - Minnesota

Interior Requests To Reconsider Decision to License Hydrokinetic Project on Mississippi

Rupak Thapaliya — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:58:02 -0600

Project: Mississippi Lock & Dam No 2 : P-4306

Through a letter sent last week, the Department of Interior (DOI) has requested FERC for a rehearing of the decision to issue an amended license that allows for operation of hydrokinetic project on the Mississippi river in Hastings, Minnesota.

Interior has long been requesting for adoption of pilot license process for the project. The pilot licensing process established by FERC for projects using new hydrokinetic technology, issues license for no more than five years at a time. Interior has argued that such a process would allow careful testing of the technology to identify any impacts. Although FERC acknowledged Interior’s recommendation, it did not require Hastings project to undergo the pilot licensing process.

In the request letter, DOI has also claimed that FERC’s determination that the proposed license amendment was not inconsistent with the Mississippi Comprehensive Management Plan is not accurate. In that light, the DOI has requested for a rehearing of FERC’s decision.

The hydrokinetic project on the Mississippi River uses two turbines with a capacity of 35kW each to generate electricity.

FERC approves first ever in-river hydrokinetic project in the US

Rupak Thapaliya — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:16:20 -0600

Project: Mississippi Lock & Dam No 2 : P-4306

Through a license amendment to an existing project, the FERC has approved installation of hydrokinetic turbines at the Mississippi Lock and Dam Project #2 in Hastings, Minnesota.

The City of Hastings has partnered with Hydro Green Energy, a Houston based company, to install two turbines, each with a capacity of 35 kW. According to the City, the first turbine will be installed this month and the second in April 2009. The turbines will be placed on a hanging barge tethered to the existing dam.

Along with careful studies on the impacts of the project, the Commission has required that the City develop a project removal plan prior to installation of the turbines. Additionally, the licensee is also required to develop a plan for immediate shutdown of the project should the project pose any threat to the environment or the life, health, or property of the public.

Coalition members American Rivers, Trout Unlimited and American Whitewater had also participated in the license amendment.

Read the FERC press release.

Twin Cities Hydro Project Seeks LIHI Certification

Rupak Thapaliya — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:33:33 -0600

The twin cities hydropower project located at the Mississippi Lock and Dam No. 1 (P-362) in St. Paul, MN is seeking to be certified as a low-impact project under the Low Impact Hydropower Institute's (LIHI) certification criteria.

The 17.92 MW project was licensed by FERC in November 2004 and is located within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA).

According to the application for certification, the project consists of

a 156- foot-long by 112-foot-wide powerhouse integral with the Corps' dam, containing four 5,800-hp Francis turbines and four 4,480-kW generating units with a total installed capacity of 17,920 kW; and,
a two-foot-high inflatable rubber flashboard system on top of a 574-foot-long concrete spillway dam with a crest elevation of 723.1 feet mean sea level (msl).

LIHI is now accepting public comments on the application by Brookfield Power, which owns the project.

LIHI evaluates a hydroproject on the following eight criteria before issuing certification:

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

Since 2001, the Institute has issued LIHI certification to 36 projects around the nation.

To learn more about LIHI, visit www.lowimpacthydro.org.

A MN city seeks approval to operate first in-river hydrokinetic project

Rupak Thapaliya — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:56:37 -0500

Project: Mississippi Lock & Dam No 2 : P-4306

On April 24, 2008 City of Hastings, MN filed an application seeking to get an approval from the federal government to run an in-river hydrokinetic project. The proposed hydrokinetic project is to be located just downstream of Mississippi Lock and Dam # 2 in Hastings, MN about 30 miles southeast of Minneapolis, MN. The City of Hastings, which also holds the license for the currently operational 4MW hydroelectric project (P-4306) on the Lock and Dam is seeking for an amendment that would approve addition of two 35 kW hydrokinetic units, for a total installed capacity of 70 kW. If licensed this will be the first-ever in-stream hydrokinetic project in the US.

While the hydrokinetic technology looks promising, just like with any other new technology, it is important to proceed carefully and to address any ecological or recreational issues that may arise. FERC, the federal jurisdictional agency for in-river hydrokinetic projects, currently has a policy of issuing conditional licenses for test projects. In December 2007, FERC had issued a similar license for the Makah Bay Wave energy project offshore in Challam County, WA.

Read this article about the growth of hydrokinetic projects.