Kauai small conduit hydro exemption terminated

U.S. hydropower regulators have terminated an exemption from licensing for a small conduit hydroelectric facility proposed for development in Hawaii.

The case concerns the 5.3-megawatt Puu Lua Hydropower Project No. 14069.  Proposed  by Konohiki Hydro Power, LLC, the project would have been located on the Kōkeʻe Ditch Irrigation System on state-owned land on the island of Kauai.  As authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in its 2012 order granting the Puu Lua project an exemption from the licensing requirements of Part I of the Federal Power Act, the project would have included two developments with powerhouses.

In granting the Puu Lua project's exemption, the Commission included provisions allowing it to terminate the exemption if certain conditions are not satisfied.  Article 8 of the exemption states the Commission may terminate the exemption if actual construction of any project works has not begun within two years or has not been completed within four years from the issuance date of the exemption.  In 2014, the exemptee successfully won a two-year extension to commence project construction, until April 12, 2016.  But according to the Commission's August 31, 2016 Order Terminating Exemption (Conduit), the developer failed to commence construction of the Puu Lua Hydropower Project prior to the deadline.

In addition to the construction deadlines, the exemption also included an article providing that the Commission may terminate the exemption "if, at any time, the exemptee does not hold sufficient property rights in the land or project works necessary to develop, maintain, and operate the project." This too proved problematic, as in November 2015 the State of Hawaii notified the Commission that the exemptee’s rights to use the property were cancelled effective January 1, 2015.  After the exemptee did not respond to a Commission request for documentation of its rights, Commission staff issued a notice of probable termination of the exemption for failure to commence project construction by the April 12, 2016 deadline, and for failure to possess sufficient property rights.

Ultimately, on August 31, 2016, the Commission issued its order terminating the project's exemption, "for failure to commence construction and maintain sufficient property rights."