(Host) A Vermont hydroelectric developer hopes to generate power from federally owned flood control dams in Townshend and Jamaica.
Backers say the project would benefit the towns involved and enhance the reliability of the region’s power distribution system.
VPR’s Susan Keese has more.
(Keese) Ball Mountain Dam in Jamaica and the nearby Townshend Dam are part of a network of flood control dams built in the 1950s by the Army Corps of Engineers.
In the early eighties attempts were made to develop hydroelectric projects at Ball Mountain.
Then power became cheap again, federal and state incentives disappeared, and the projects became uneconomical. But Plainfield geologist Lori Barg says the climate is favorable once again.
(Barg) "The Corps actually supports hydro projects at their dams, so that’s very helpful that this is part of the Corps philosophy, they want to support hydroelectric development."
(Keese) Barg is president of Blue Heron Hydro.
The company is one of dozens of so-called ‘non-federal partners’ from around the country working with the Corps to take advantage of new federal incentives and make such projects happen.
Blue Heron wants to install a system designed to use the dams’ existing infrastructure, so very little would have to be built.
The turbines and generators are under water, and can be lowered and raised from the dam’s existing intake tower.
(Barg) "And you take this unit and you lower it to the bottom of the lake, and you don’t know that it’s there, you don’t see that it’s there but it’s producing electricity. And you pull it out of the way whenever the Corps of engineers asks you to remove it for flood control. It’s a beautiful technology."
(Keese) Barg says the two projects would generate enough electricity to power about 1300 homes.
She says another advantage is the dams’ location on the southern loop transmission line. The line carries power between Bennington and Brattleboro, and also serves the Stratton region, where demand is projected to grow.
Bruce Bentley of Central Vermont Public Service says it’s the sort of project Vermont utilities need to avoid building costly new transmission lines.
(Bentley) "We’re looking for community-sized generation projects, preferably either renewable or cogeneration. So this renewable project which is close to a substation and is of a relatively small size that fits on the loop is a good part of our overall solution."
(Keese) Blue Heron hopes to have its permits by the end of 2010 to take advantage of state and federal incentives. It has a lot of work to do to win approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
It also needs a permit from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Lori Barg says that process can be time consuming and expensive.
Jamaica Select Board chairman Oliver Olsen says his board tentatively supports the project, provided the town can strike a favorable deal regarding payment in lieu of taxes.
For VPR News, I’m Susan Keese.