Electric Co-op Today

Small hydroelectric power projects could play an important role in the nation’s energy future, but costs and regulation threaten to stall development of those resources, according to testimony presented to Congress.

John Prescott, president and CEO of PNGC Power, testified that co-ops support small hydroelectric development but are concerned about burdensome regulations. (Photo By: Derrill Holly)

“Small hydropower is not the sole answer… but it should be part of our energy solution,” said House Water and Power Subcommittee Chairman Grace Napolitano, D-Calif., in a statement at during a July 29 hearing.

The subcommittee hearing focused on the future of low-impact and affordable hydropower generation in the western United States.

“Only about 2,400 of the 80,000 existing dams in the United States are producing hydropower,” Napolitano said. She added that challenges remain, despite renewable energy standards being adopted by the states, the availability of federal funds for upgrading the hydroelectric capacity of existing facilities and growing interest in commercial hydroelectric development.

Witnesses said inconsistent federal rules on wildlife protection and excessive regulations applied to man-made waterways, like irrigation and navigation canals, and flood-control projects are among the problems hindering hydroelectric development.

“While we support small-scale, low-impact hydropower, it is the large, federally owned dams in the Columbia River Basin that provide most of our electricity needs,” testified John Prescott, president and CEO of PNGC Power.

The Portland, Ore.-based G&T supplies power to 16 rural electric distribution cooperatives in seven western states. It also buys much of its electricity from the Bonneville Power Administration.

Existing hydropower facilities are threatened by issues related to the Endangered Species Act, said Prescott. He also said an increasing amount of the electricity from large federally owned hydroelectric projects is being earmarked for reserves to offset fluctuations and intermittency in output from a deluge of new commercial wind developments.

“You’d better have a one-to-one backup of capacity,” said Prescott, who added that meeting demand and reliability requires consistent output.”We cannot realize the full value of wind generation in the Pacific Northwest unless we adequately address what might be the single largest issue facing the system.”

Co-ops are also concerned that as federal and state incentives spur development of small hydro projects, their consumer-members won’t bear excessive costs related to harnessing the power, said Paul Griffin, an NRECA senior legislative affairs representative. “Developers should pay the costs of connecting their projects to the grid.”

Tags: Energy and Environment, Power Supply, Renewable Energy, Wind Energy