The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a preliminary permit to Four Lakes Task Force to study the feasibility of the 6-MW Edenville Dam Hydroelectric Project on the Tittabawassee and Tobacco river system in Michigan. The project, located immediately upstream of the confluence of the two rivers in Gladwin and Midland counties, would consist of:...
Staff with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) have detailed the depth of its continuing efforts to address cybersecurity challenges facing the nation’s energy infrastructure, including hydropower facilities. The presentation detailed several organizational changes meant to better focus the agency’s resources on quickly evolving cyber challenges, including creation of a new security-focused group within the...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a preliminary permit to Grid Balance Hydropower LLC for the proposed 400-MW Packer-Banks Pumped Storage Project, to be located in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. The proposed project would consist of: New 9,500-foot-long, 80- to 120-foot-high roller-compacted concrete and/or rockfill dam or dike forming an upper reservoir with a total...
The city of Wadsworth, Ohio, has filed a notice of application for surrender of the license for its proposed 50-MW Robert C. Byrd hydro project. The project, to be located at the RC Byrd Locks and Dam on the Ohio River between Ohio and West Virginia, would consist of a 1,200-foot-long intake channel, two intakes...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued an order cancelling the preliminary permit issued to FreedomWorks LLC for the proposed 1,000-MW Mt. Storm Pumped Storage Hydro Project. According to the order issuing the preliminary permit, Mt. Storm would be located near Bismarck in Grant County, West Virginia. It would consist of an existing Mt. Storm...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued guidance for the development of closed-loop pumped storage projects at abandoned mine sites, as well as a list of existing non-powered federal dams that FERC and other agencies agree have the greatest potential for non-federal hydropower development. Both actions fulfill FERC’s requirements under Sections 3003 and 3004...
U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated James P. Danly (R-Tenn.) to be a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He will serve the remainder of the term, expiring June 30, 2023, to be served by Kevin J. McIntyre. McIntyre passed away in January 2019, after stepping down as chairman in October 2018 due to...
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) staff have issued a report offering recommendations to help users, owners and operators of the bulk-power system improve their compliance with mandatory Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards, as well as their overall cybersecurity posture. According to the report: “The CIP Reliability Standards are designed to mitigate the cybersecurity and physical...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a preliminary permit to ECOsponsible LLC to study the feasibility of the 3-MW Caughdenoy Lock Hydro Project on the Oneida River in New York. The proposed project would be located at Caughdenoy Dam, an existing control dam 15 feet high by 550 feet long. The project would consist of: Three...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposes to modernize its regulations governing small power producers and cogenerators under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to better address consumer concerns and market changes in the energy landscape in recent decades. Congress enacted PURPA to address the national energy crisis by encouraging the development of...