The USA Federal Power Regulatory Fee (FERC) has launched public touch upon its environmental affect report for 4 current hydropower services alongside the Kennebec River within the counties of Kennebec and Somerset, earlier than approving the proprietor’s proposed license amendments.
The Draft Environmental Affect Assertion (EIS) considerations Brookfield Renewable’s purposes in 2022 to amend three current licenses and a relicensing utility, which have a mixed era capability of about 47 megawatts (MW).
The 2022 purposes had been preceded by earlier modification purposes that sought to handle considerations over dangers to fish species posed by the decades-old hydroelectric services within the state of Maine.
On January 31, 2020, Bermuda-based Brookfield on behalf of Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC utilized for a license to proceed working the 8.65 MW Shawmut facility. It then sought FERC approval June 1, 2021, to amend the appliance to incorporate an interim plan for the safety of the endangered Atlantic salmon, the FERC recalled in a press launch saying the Draft EIS issuance.
“The Interim Plan consists of measures to guard endangered Atlantic salmon till the Fee points a choice on the relicense utility for the Shawmut Venture”, the FERC stated.
Individually on June 1, 2021, Brookfield sought FERC approval to amend the three different licenses to include a ultimate plan for the safety of the Atlantic salmon, the likewise endangered shortnose sturgeon and the threatened Atlantic sturgeon, the FERC stated.
The three current licenses that Brookfield is looking for to amend are the 15.98 MW Weston Hydroelectric Venture, operated by Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC; the 15.433 MW Hydro-Kennebec Hydroelectric Venture of Hydro Kennebec LLC; and the 6.915-MW Lockwood Hydroelectric Venture, licensed to Merimil LP.
“On September 21, 2022, Brookfield filed supplemental info and up to date its Proposed Actions for the Shawmut relicensing and the license amendments for all 4 initiatives”, the FERC stated. These variations are the topic of the Draft EIS.
The Shawmut facility started era 1913, whereas its allow expired 2021, in line with info from the Hydropower Reform Coalition (HRC). The Weston facility went on-line 1920, whereas its allow expires 2036, in line with the web supply. Put into service 1985, the Lockwood facility may also expire 2036, in line with the HRC. The most recent, Hydro-Kennebec, started era 1989 and also will expire 2036, in line with the coalition.
The solicitation for public views, which closes June 4, goals to assist in the analysis of the environmental affect of approving the relicense utility and the three license modification purposes, as up to date by the 2022 submissions by Brookfield.
“The first points related to the proposed actions are upstream and downstream passage for diadromous fish species, together with: Atlantic salmon, alewife, blueback herring, American shad, American eel, and sea lamprey”, the FERC stated.
“The Shawmut relicense utility and the Ultimate Plan embrace proposed upstream and downstream fish passage services, operational measures, and monitoring measures designed to boost upstream and downstream fish passage and keep away from or decrease the potential adversarial results of continued operation of the initiatives on threatened and endangered fish species”, it added.
The Draft EIS endorses amending the 4 licenses with obligatory situations on high of the species safety measures proposed by Brookfield.
It presents points already raised by environmental campaigners and responses by Brookfield.
In an announcement on the Draft EIS, HRC member Trout Limitless took situation with the suggestions for the preservation of the endangered Atlantic salmon.
“The FERC suggestions quantity to incremental enhancements over what’s now a dire state of affairs for Atlantic salmon in Kennebec”, stated the assertion posted on Trout Limitless’s web site and reposted by the HRC. Trout Limitless had stated beforehand that the elimination of the Brookfield services may very well be the simplest option to save the species, which is given a protected standing by the federal conservation company NOAA Fisheries.
“Now we have tried the incremental strategy earlier than on rivers just like the Connecticut, Merrimack, Saco, and Androscoggin”, the assertion added. “It doesn’t work. We should always all know higher than to strive it once more on the Kennebec.
“Low expectations result in low efficiency”.
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