Washington State’s Chelan PUD on Dec. 4 said that it will file a pre-application document and notice of intent to relicense its Rock Island Dam this month.
Chelan PUD has operated Rock Island for 68 years and the next license will be Rock Island’s third.
The license is a 30-50 year permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that authorizes Chelan PUD to continue generating power. The current 40-year license for Rock Island – Chelan PUD’s second largest power producer – expires in 2028.
Relicensing is a public process that requires Chelan PUD and FERC to evaluate the resources associated with the project including: fish and wildlife, flood control, power generation, cultural resources, recreation and other aspects of environmental quality.
The new license will require the PUD to invest in protection, mitigation and enhancement measures. FERC determines what those measures should be based on scientific studies and historical information.
The formal process takes a minimum of five years, but Chelan PUD has been preparing since 2021. The utility has conducted six formal studies and three evaluations, and organized several technical working groups that involve more than 130 people from 43 entities.
The final license application is due Dec. 31, 2026. A new license may be issued as soon as January 2029.
Rock Island Dam, located about 12 miles downstream from the City of Wenatchee, has two powerhouses with 18 generators, which have a nameplate capacity of about 629 megawatts.
With power initially generated in 1933, the Rock Island hydroelectric project was the first to span the Columbia River.
Beyond the two powerhouses and dam, the project area includes the shoreline along the approximately 21-mile-long reservoir, five recreational sites, and the 960 acres upland Home Water Wildlife Preserve.
Chelan PUD committed to a 50-year Habitat Conservation Plan to ensure that Rock Island and Rocky Reach hydro projects have no net impact on mid-Columbia salmon and steelhead runs. That commitment is accomplished by meeting robust juvenile and adult survival standards, producing hatchery fish, and providing funding for habitat restoration projects, it noted.
