LIHI Certificate # 18 -– Tapoco Project, Little Tennessee and Cheoah Rivers, TN and NC ( FERC # 2169)
Alcoa files early for LIHI Re-Certification of its Tapoco Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 2169)
Portland, Maine (March 20, 2012) – The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that Alcoa Power Generating Inc. (“APGI”) has submitted an application for the re- certification of the Tapoco Hydroelectric Project (“Project”). With this LIHI re-certification application, Alcoa wants to accelerate the expiration date of their current LIHI certificate for the Tapoco Hydro Project, LIHI Cert. No. 18. The LIHI certificate was issued for an 8-year term which expires on July 25, 2013. Assuming Tapoco is re-certified they will be able to continue to offer their customers RECs from a project whose LIHI certification would not expire for eight years.
In 2005, the Project was re-licensed for a 40-year term by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The 2005 license includes a comprehensive collaborative settlement agreement.
Alcoa is the world's leading producer and manager of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities, and is active in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa has 131,000 employees in 43 countries and has been named one of the top three most sustainable corporations in the world at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com. Tapoco is the largest hydropower project to be certified by LIHI on the east coast and is the first to receive an eight-year certification in recognition of meeting special watershed management criteria.
Project Description
The Tapoco project consists of four powerhouses and four dams in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina totaling 350 megawatts (MW) of electric generation capacity, which power Alcoa Tennessee Operations near Knoxville. The project is located on the Little Tennessee and Cheoah Rivers and is owned and operated by APGI.
The four developments that make up the Tapoco Project include:
Santeetlah Development consisting of: (1) 1,054-foot-high and 216-foot-high concrete arch dam; (2) 25,176 foot long tunnel/pipeline; (3) 2,881-acre reservoir; (4) powerhouse with two generating units, with the total installed capacity of 49.2 MW; and (5) 750-foot-long 161 kV transmission line.
Cheoah Development consisting of: (1) 750-foot-long and 229-foot high curved concrete gravity dam; (2) 644-acre reservoir; (3) powerhouse with 4 vertical Francis turbine units directly connected to generators and 1-independent Francis turbine unit added in 1949; and (4) 118-MW total installed capacity.
Calderwood Development consisting of: (1) 916-foot-long and 230-foot-high concrete arch dam; (2) 570-acre reservoir; (3) 2,050-foot-long tunnel; and (4) powerhouse with 3 Francis turbine units, which are being upgraded to a total installed capacity of 140.4 MW.
Chilhowee Development consisting of: (1) 1,483-foot-long and 88.5-foot-high concrete gravity dam; (2) 1.734-acre reservoir; and (3) powerhouse with 3 Kaplan turbine units with a total installed capacity of 52.2 MW
The total area within the FERC Project Boundary is approximately 8,300 acres (5,800 acres of water and 2,500 acres of land). The new license is anticipated to add about 147 acres of land within the Project Boundary. The Tapoco Project extends along the Little Tennessee River from about river mile marker 33 located approximately 3,000 feet downstream of Chilhowee Dam to just above river mile marker 60, a little more than a half-mile downstream of the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Fontana Dam. Chilhowee, Calderwood and Cheoah developments and Santeetlah Powerhouse are located on the Little Tennessee River. Santeetlah Dam and Reservoir are located on the Cheoah River, a tributary to the Little Tennessee River. Santeetlah Dam is located approximately 9.3 miles upstream of the confluence of the two rivers, which is located just downstream of Cheoah Powerhouse. The Project Boundary also encompasses much of the Cheoah River corridor downstream of the Santeetlah Dam.
Public Comments
We encourage public comments on this application. Specifically, we are interested in knowing whether you think this Tapoco Project meets our LIHI criteria. Review the program and criteria in greater detail and then review the Project’s application. Comments that are directly tied to specific LIHI criteria (flows, water quality, fish passage, etc) will be most helpful, but all comments will be considered. Comments may be submitted to the Institute by e-mail at info@lowimpacthydro.org; or by mail addressed to LIHI, 34 Providence Street, Portland, ME, 04103. Comments must be received at the Institute on or before 5PM Eastern time on May 20, 2012 to be considered. All comments will be posted to the web site and the applicant will have an opportunity to respond. Any response will also be posted.
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PORTLAND, ME – (DECEMBER 1, 2005) – The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that Alcoa's Tapoco Hydroelectric Project has earned LIHI's Low Impact Certification. The Tapoco project consists of four powerhouses and four dams in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina totaling 350 megawatts (MW) of electric generation capacity, which power Alcoa Tennessee Operations near Knoxville. The project is located on the Little Tennessee and Cheoah Rivers and is owned and operated by Alcoa Power Generating Inc.
Earlier this year, the project was relicensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a 40-year period.Alcoa is the world's leading producer and manager of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities, and is active in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa has 131,000 employees in 43 countries and has been named one of the top three most sustainable corporations in the world at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com Tapoco is the largest hydropower project to be certified by LIHI on the east coast and is the first to receive an eight-year certification in recognition of meeting special watershed management criteria.
"We take great pleasure in certifying this facility and congratulate Alcoa ," said Richard Roos-Collins, chair of LIHI's Governing Board. "This decision should send a clear message that even large hydropower facilities can operate with low impacts to key natural resources, and offer enhanced value to shareholders and customers alike."
SUMMARY
Facility location: On the Little Tennessee and Cheoah Rivers in Graham and Swain Counties, North Carolina and Blount and Monroe Counties, Tennessee.
Installed capacity: 326 MW
Average annual generation: 1445 gigawatt hours
FERC license: No. 2169 issued in 2005 with a collaborative settlement agreement.
Applicant: Alcoa Power Generating Inc (APGI)
Applicant contact: Robert Smet, Environmental and Natural Resource Manager, Alcoa Power Generation Inc., Hydro Division, P.O. Box 576, Badin, NC 28009. (704)-422-5644
Date application posted to website: July 25, 2005
Date public comment period closed: September 25, 2005
Effective date for certification decision: July 25, 2005
Certificate Expiration Date: July 25, 2013
Background
On July 25, 2005, Alcoa Power Generating Inc (APGI) submitted an application for certification of its Tapoco Project on the Little Tennessee and Cheoah Rivers.
The Tapoco Project includes four developments:
Santeetlah Development consisting of: (1)1,054-foot-high and 216-foot-high concrete arch dam; (2) 25,176 foot long tunnel/pipeline; (3) 2,881-acre reservoir; (4) powerhouse with two generating units, with the total installed capacity of 49.2 MW; and (5) 750-foot-long 161 kV transmission line.
Cheoah Development consisting of: (1) 750-foot-long and 229-foot high curved concrete gravity dam; (2) 644-acre reservoir; (3) powerhouse with 4 vertical Francis turbine units directly connected to generators and 1-independent Francis turbine unit added in 1949; and (4) 118-MW total installed capacity.
Calderwood Development consisting of: (1) 916-foot-long and 230-foot-high concrete arch dam; (2) 570-acre reservoir; (3) 2,050-foot-long tunnel; and (4) powerhouse with 3 Francis turbine units, which are being upgraded to a total installed capacity of 140.4 MW.
Chilhowee Development consisting of: (1) 1,483-foot-long and 88.5-foot-high concrete gravity dam; (2) 1.734-acre reservoir; and (3) powerhouse with 3 Kaplan turbine units with a total installed capacity of 52.2 MW
The total area within the FERC Project Boundary is approximately 8,300 acres (5,800 acres of water and 2,500 acres of land). The new license is anticipated to add about 147 acres of land within the Project Boundary. The Tapoco Project extends along the Little Tennessee River from about river mile marker 33 located approximately 3,000 feet downstream of Chilhowee Dam to just above river mile marker 60, a little more than a half-mile downstream of the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Fontana Dam. Chilhowee, Calderwood and Cheoah developments and Santeetlah Powerhouse are located on the Little Tennessee River. Santeetlah Dam and Reservoir are located on the Cheoah River, a tributary to the Little Tennessee River. Santeetlah Dam is located approximately 9.3 miles upstream of the confluence of the two rivers, which is located just downstream of Cheoah Powerhouse. The Project Boundary also encompasses much of the Cheoah River corridor downstream of the Santeetlah Dam.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There was one public comment on the Tapoco application. A July 29, 2005 letter to LIHI from an organization representing local homeowners, "The Friends of Lake Santeetlah," urged LIHI certification of the project, commending both APGI and the parties to the Settlement Agreement for minimizing the project's "impact... on the area." LIHI received no other comment letters.
The certification of the Tapoco Project facility is valid for eight years and will expire on July 25, 2013.