The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved the first installation of a hydrokinetic power device at an existing U.S. hydroelectric project, on the Mississippi River in Hastings, Minn.
?Today's decision is an exciting one for everyone because it combines the use of innovative hydrokinetic technology with a conventional hydropower dam,? FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher said. ?This is a creative solution to meeting electricity demand using renewable resources, and I congratulate the city of Hastings for moving forward with the idea.?
FERC amended the operating license for 4.4-MW Mississippi Lock and Dam No. 2 project (No. 4306) Dec. 13, allowing the licensee, the city of Hastings, Minn., to install two 35-kW hydrokinetic units. (HNN 8/4/08) The units are based on the patented technology of Hydro Green Energy LLC, of Houston, Texas, a partner in the hydrokinetic project.
Hydro Green Energy said one turbine would be installed in December, with the second unit to be installed in April 2009. The units will be suspended from a barge in the tailrace of the Corps of Engineers' Lock and Dam No. 2, about 20 miles south of Minneapolis. They are expected to generate 364 megawatt-hours annually.
?Hydro Green Energy is a proud partner of the city of Hastings and is anxious to deploy its technology,? Hydro Green Energy Chairman Wayne Krouse added. ?What's more, it's only fitting that this project is located on the Mississippi River, America's most well-known river.?
FERC staff completed an environmental assessment of the proposal in September. The commission's 34-page order adopts some recommendations from the EA, including more water quality monitoring, a broader approach to evaluating fish entrainment and survival, development of a control plan for zebra mussels, and development and implementation of a bird monitoring plan.
The order also requires the city of Hastings to modify turbine operations or remove the turbines or barge if monitoring results show adverse effects on water quality, fish, or diving birds.
Hydro Green Energy reports it is developing hydrokinetic projects in a number of states, including Alaska, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New York, and Texas.
