June 25, 2009 --- TransCanada Projects Achieve Low Impact Certification
TransCanada Projects Achieve LIHI Certification
Portland, Maine (June 25, 2009) - At their June meeting, the Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) Governing Board certified TransCanada's Vernon Station and 15-Mile Falls Projects. The Board's decision to certify both Projects was unanimous. The effective certification date is December 15, 2008. LIHI certification means that the Vernon Station and 15-Mile Falls Projects, have been found to meet or exceed the Institute's Certification Criteria which address eight key areas: river flows, water quality, fish passage and protection, watershed protection, threatened and endangered species protection, cultural resource protection, recreation, and facilities recommended for removal.
Certification is designed to provide consumers with assurance that a facility has avoided or reduced their environmental impacts pursuant to the Low Impact Hydropower Institute's criteria.
Vernon Project Description
The Vernon project, located at river mile 142 on the Connecticut River, was originally constructed in 1909 and consists of a concrete gravity dam (a 500-foot-long overflow spillway with 10-foot high flashboards, a 100-footlong gated sill block with two 20-foot-high by 50-foot-long tainter gates, and a 336-foot-long non-overflow section) and powerhouse. The project operates as a daily cycling generating facility with limited storage and has a minimum flow requirement, set in the 1979 relicensing, of 1250 cubic feet per second (cfs).
Project Summary
· Facility location: Connecticut in, New Hampshire and Vermont.
· Installed capacity: 32.4 MW
· Average annual generation: 188 gigawatt hours
· Year FERC license issued: June 25, 1979
· Applicant: TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc.
15-Mile Project Description
TransCanada Hydro Northeast, Inc. owns and operates theFifteen Mile Falls Project. The project is an existing, licensed hydroelectric facility spanning a 26-mile reach of the Connecticut River, including three reservoirs and about a 1.5-mile riverine reach between the Comerford and McIndoes reservoirs.
The Moore development is located at River Mile (RM) 283 and consists of: an
11-mile-long reservoir with a surface area of 3,490 acres; a 2,920-foot-long earth and concrete gravity dam; four 296-foot-long penstocks; and a powerhouse with four Francis type turbine-generator units, with a total rated capacity of 140.4 MW.
The Comerford development is located at RM 275 and consists of: a 1,093
acre-reservoir; a 2,253-foot-long, 170-foot-high earth and concrete gravity dam;
four 150-foot-long steel penstocks; and a powerhouse with four Francis type turbine generator units with a rated capacity of 140.4 MW.
The McIndoes development is located at RM 268 and consists of: a 5-mile long,
543-acre reservoir; a 730-foot-long concrete gravity dam; and a powerhouse
with four turbine-generator units with a total capacity of 10,560 kW.
Project Summary
· Facility location: Connecticut River New Hampshire and Vermont.
· Installed capacity: 369 MW
· Average annual generation: 663 gigawatt hours
· Year FERC license issued: April 8, 2002
· Applicant: TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc.
For more detailed information on these projects visit the "Certified Projects" section of our website.