Army Eyes Water Power

Generators May be Placed Along the Mon River

Morgantown Dominion Post
29 September 2010
By Alex Lang

A handful of developers has expressed interest in adding hydropower generators to dams in the region, though officials have said any changes to the dams are years away.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh district oversees the 23 locks and dams on the Monongahela River and in the region. Most dams have been looked at for possible hydropower generation, said Curt Meeder, chief of the planning department of the district.

“Everyone had some expression of interest,” Meeder said.

There was only one lock, near Elizabeth,Pa.,that was not considered because it may close, Meeder said.

The power generator’s design would be up to the developer, Meeder said. It could be attached to the side of a dam or placed downstream.

While water elevation drop isn’t as great as seen in traditional hydraulic power dams, Meeder said, power can still be generated, and it has significant value to developers.

The application process is furthest along for ahydropower generator at a dam northeast of Pittsburgh, Meeder said.

While developers said they think they might be able to get a permit in a year, Meeder said the process takes a few years to complete.

Several organizations — including the corps, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and environmental groups — review the applications, he said.

Meeder said the corps looks to make sure any proposal doesn’t impair the existing structure, doesn’t affect its operations and will not impact the environment.

A developer’s first step would be to obtain a preliminary permit, said Celeste Miller, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission spokeswoman. There would be an opportunity for public input before the permit is issued. The permit would not allow construction or the operation of a generator, but would give the commission three years to study the feasibility of adding a generator.

Once the group receives a permit, it could try to obtain a license, Miller said. A license would allow them to construct and run a generator, but there would be more opportunities for public input before a license is issued.