Your PUD
News Release
Lake Chelan Hydro Project passes “green” milestone
Chelan County PUD
News Release
1/25/2008
WENATCHEE -- Chelan County PUD’s Lake Chelan Hydro Project has been certified by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI), an important step toward possible participation in green energy markets.
Receiving certification as low-impact hydro means the dam and powerhouse are recognized for meeting criteria related to river flows, water quality, fish passage and protection, watersheds, threatened and endangered species, cultural resources, and public access and recreation.
If any of the electricity generated at the Lake Chelan Project is ultimately certified as “green power,” the energy or environmental values could potentially be sold in green markets. LIHI certification has been considered an important first step toward green certification in some areas, but many green markets are still developing.
The 80-year-old Lake Chelan Hydro Project is located on the Chelan River at the foot of Lake Chelan in North Central Washington. It has a nameplate generating capacity of 48 megawatts, and a modernization project recently begun is expected to add to that capacity by making the dam’s two generators more efficient. (One megawatt is enough to power about 500 Pacific Northwest homes.)
The Lake Chelan Project has recently completed its relicensing process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, earning a new 50-year license valid through 2056. Terms of the new license included provisions for re-establishing year-round flows in the Chelan River, establishing additional fish spawning and rearing habitat for salmon and steelhead near the powerhouse at Chelan Falls and modifying lake level operations to improve fisheries management. New relicensing provisions also cover recreation, cultural resources and public access.
The Low Impact Hydropower Institute is a national independent nonprofit organization established in 1999 and headquartered in Portland, Maine. LIHI’s mission is to reduce the impacts of hydropower dams through market incentives. To earn certification as low-impact hydro, Chelan County PUD submitted an application to LIHI detailing the Lake Chelan Project’s environmental record and explaining the new license provisions. The cost to Chelan PUD for participation is $15,750 and covers five years.
***
For further information, contact:
Gregg Carrington
Director, External Affairs Division
Chelan County PUD
509 661-4178
gregg.carrington@chelanpud.org
Steve Lachowicz
Director, Communications Division
Chelan County PUD
509 661-4639
steve.lachowicz@chelanpud.org