FERC issues notices for America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 implementation

Federal hydropower regulators have issued a pair of notices framing the implementation of recently enacted legislation designed to streamline the processes for licensing some hydroelectric projects.

On October 23, 2018, President Trump signed the America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. The new law amends several portions of the Federal Power Act which govern how the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issues preliminary permits, hydropower licenses, and approvals for qualifying conduit hydropower facilities. It also directs the Commission to:

• Issue a rule within 180 days establishing an expedited process for issuing and amending licenses for qualifying facilities at existing nonpowered dams that will seek to ensure a final decision by the Commission on an application for a license no later than two years after receipt of a completed application;
• Issue a rule within 180 days establishing an expedited process for issuing and amending licenses for closed-loop pumped storage projects that will seek to ensure a final decision by the Commission on an application for a license no later than two years after receipt of a completed application;
• Along with the Secretaries of the Army, Interior, and Agriculture, jointly develop a list of existing nonpowered federal dams that the Commission and the Secretaries agree have the greatest potential for non-federal hydropower development, to be published within 12 months; and
• Hold a workshop within 6 months to explore potential opportunities for development of closed-loop pumped storage projects at abandoned mine sites, and issue guidance within one year to assist applicants for licenses or preliminary permits for closed-loop pumped storage projects at abandoned mine sites.

On November 13, 2018, the Commission established three dockets in order to implement the requirements of the Act: RM19-6-000 (Licensing Regulations under America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018); AD19-7-000 (Nonpowered Dams List); and AD19-8-000 (Closed-loop Pumped Storage Projects at Abandoned Mines Guidance). The Commission's notice establishes a schedule with abbreviated deadlines for the development of these materials, with notices of proposed rulemaking for the expedited licensing processes expected in January or February 2019.

As part of the provisions calling for new expedited processes for issuing and amending licenses for qualifying facilities at existing nonpowered dams and closed-loop pumped storage projects, the new law also requires the Commission to convene an interagency task force, including appropriate federal and state agencies and Indian tribes, to coordinate the regulatory processes required to construct and operate these projects. Also on November 13, the Commission published a notice inviting these groups to request participation in the interagency task force. Federal and state agencies and Indian tribes who wish to participate on the interagency task force must file a statement of interest with the Commission by November 29, 2018.

US Army solar engine project

The United States Department of Defense has announced plans to develop a gigawatt of renewable electricity generation capacity at Army and Air Force installations by 2025.  In pursuit of this goal, U.S. armed forces branches are evaluating their technological options.  For a depot in Utah, the Army has reportedly selected a technology that uses concentrated solar energy to power mechanical engines.

Iconic Utah desert scenery: Delicate Arch, in Arches National Park.

Located about 45 minutes southwest of Salt Lake City, the Tooele Army Depot is designed to be the conventional ammunition hub for the western U.S., as well as a "peculiar equipment center" -- meaning a storage place for unusual weapons, munition and equipment.  Tooele is already home to the Army's first commercial-scale wind turbine, a 1.5-megawatt unit which was commissioned in 2010.

The site on the fringes of Utah's West Desert gets a lot of sun.  This may have led the Army to focus on solar energy technologies for a larger project.  According to reports by KSL, the Army has selected a company called Infinia to develop a solar energy project.   That project will entail 430 Power Dishes, modular units developed by Infinia.  Each Power Dish uses sun-tracking parabolic mirrors to concentrate solar energy on a chamber of helium gas.  The expansion of this gas drives a Stirling engine -- effectively a piston connected to a generator which produces electricity.  Each unit can produce 3.2 kW of alternating current power.

However, a recent vote by the Senate Armed Services Committee may dampen the Department of Defense's ability to develop renewable energy sources and limit the military's spending on renewable energy projects.  By 13-12 votes, the committee voted to block the construction of a biofuels refinery for the armed forces, as well as to prohibit paying more for alternative fuels than for traditional fossil fuels.