The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a pilot hydrokinetic license for a 100-kW project in Alaska and hydro license exemptions for conduit projects in Utah and California during October.
The Energy Infrastructure Update for October 2012, issued by FERC’s Office of Energy Projects, showed the commission also received hydro license applications for seven projects in Ohio and an exemption application for a conduit project in California.
FERC issued a pilot hydrokinetic project license to Alaska developer Whitestone Power and Communications for the 100-kW Whitestone Poncelet RISEC project (No. 13305) on the Delta and Tanana rivers in Alaska. Whitestone plans to develop commercially a single pontoon-mounted undershot Poncelet waterwheel with a maximum capacity of 100 kW to generate power from the river current.
The commission issued license exemptions to two conduit projects:
o 37-kW Monroe Cold Spring project (No. 14441) being developed by Monroe City, Utah, on the city’s water distribution system in Sevier County, Utah; and
o 380-kW Lincoln Metering Station project (No. 14444) being developed by Placer County Water Agency in Placer County, Calif.
Seven licenses sought for Muskingum River projects
The commission also received applications in October from Free Flow Power Corp. to license seven hydroelectric projects totaling 25 MW at existing locks and dams owned by the state of Ohio on the Muskingum River.
The Muskingum projects include: 3-MW Beverly Lock and Dam (No. 13404) at Muskingum River Lock and Dam 4; 4-MW Devola Lock and Dam (No. 13405) at Muskingum River L&D 2; 4-MW Malta/McConnelsville Lock and Dam (No. 13406) at Muskingum River L&D 7; 5-MW Lowell Lock and Dam (No. 13407) at Muskingum River L&D 3; 3-MW Philo Lock and Dam (No. 13408) at Muskingum River L&D 9; 4-MW Rokeby Lock and Dam (No. 13411) at Muskingum River L&D 8; and 2-MW Zanesville Lock and Dam (No. 13412) at Muskingum River L&D 10.
FERC also received an application from the Avenal, Calif., Utilities Department for a conduit exemption for the 110-kW California Tank 4 project (No. 14463) in King County, Calif.
Wisconsin Electric Power Co. filed an application to amend its license for the 6.1-MW Twin Falls project (No. 11831) on the Menominee River in Wisconsin and Michigan. The utility plans to replace the existing powerhouse with a 9-MW powerhouse, increasing project capacity by 2.9 MW. Black & Veatch received a contract in May to design the new powerhouse for the nearly 100-year-old facility.
FERC, which previously used the infrastructure update as an in-house tool, began making the monthly update public beginning with December 2010. The report allows the public to track the activities of the Office of Energy Projects in the areas of hydropower, natural gas, electric generation, and electric transmission.
The Office of Energy Projects’ Energy Infrastructure Update for October 2012 may be obtained from the FERC Internet site under http://www.ferc.gov/legal/staff-reports/oct-2012-energy-infrastructure.pdf.
