The Department of Energy on Sept. 5 announced the selection of 293 hydroelectric improvement projects across 33 states that will receive up to $430 million in incentive payments to upgrade hydropower facilities. A large number of the funding recipients are public power utilities.
Administered by the Grid Deployment Office and funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentives program will enhance dam safety, improve grid resilience at 215 facilities, and protect 6,000 existing jobs at hydropower facilities as well as contractors and vendors, DOE said, noting that the 293 capital improvement projects were selected for further negotiations.
Within DOE’s portfolio and funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentives are complemented by two additional hydroelectric incentives: the Hydroelectric Production Incentives, providing incentive payments to qualified hydroelectric facilities for electricity generated and sold and the Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives, providing payments to increase power generation from the nation’s existing hydropower fleet.
Public power utilities and communities that will receive funding for projects are:
- Seattle City Light
- Tacoma Public Utilities
- Eugene Water & Electric Board
- Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
- American Municipal Power
- City of Hamilton, Ohio
- New York Power Authority
- Turlock Irrigation District
- City of Holyoke, Mass.
- City of Norway, Mich.
- City of Kaukauna, Wisconsin
- City of Idaho Falls, Idaho
- City & Borough of Sitka, Alaska
- Northern California Power Agency
- Tennessee Valley Authority
- Santee Cooper
- City of Sturgis, Mich.
- Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority
DOE said that the 293 projects will strengthen grid resilience at hydropower dams by:
- Replacing or upgrading turbines and generators
- Upgrading control systems
- Upgrading cables and transformers
- Upgrading penstocks, which transport water to the turbines
The projects will also improve dam safety by upgrading aging dam infrastructure and strengthening existing infrastructure against extreme weather events. The average number of years selected facilities have been in operation is 79 years, DOE noted.
Specific examples of projects include:
- Upgrades to emergency spillways, which channel extra water during heavy rains
- Concrete replacement to prevent water seepage through the dam
- Water conveyance repairs to improve how the dam controls water movement
- Upgrades to gates
- Upgrades to prevent overtopping of dam walls
- Erosion repair on the dam and surrounding areas
DOE said the projects will also facilitate environmental and recreational improvements to hydropower infrastructure that will improve water conditions and expand surrounding habitat and passage for fish and other species and upgrade recreational facilities near dams.
The Grid Deployment Office will host a public webinar on the selections on September 11, 2024 from 1:00 to 1:30pm ET. Registration is required.
DOE anticipates releasing a second round for Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectric Incentives next calendar year.
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