American Municipal Power on Dec. 19 asked for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for another two-year extension on the deadline to finish its Cannelton Hydroelectric Project in Hancock County, Ky.
In December 2011, the commission granted AMP a prior two-year extension, which runs out on Dec. 20 of this year. In the Dec. 19 request, the Ohio-baed power producer asked for an extension to Dec. 20, 2015.
The project is under construction at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Cannelton Lock and Dam on the Ohio River in Hancock County. AMP said it is working with Walsh Construction to advance the work and complete the project as soon as possible. Progress made in the past two years includes:
- Completion of the concrete work for the Cannelton Powerhouse;
- Completion of the manufacturing and delivery of all major components (turbine, generator stator and rotor, turbine shafts, and main power transformers;
- Over $300m spent for construction and manufacturing work in progress;
- The bridge crane for the powerhouse has been manufactured, delivered, and installed;
- Installation of the draft tube liners is complete;
- Installation of the trashracks and gate equipment has commenced; and
- Construction of the transmission line has been completed, including the new river crossings and the substation.
“The Cannelton Hydroelectric Project is the first of AMP’s four run-of-the-river hydro projects currently under construction to break ground, in 2009,” said the AMP website. “The 84-MW Cannelton plant is located on the Ohio River near Hawesville, Kentucky. The Cannelton Project will divert water from the existing Army Corps of Engineers Cannelton Dam through bulb turbines to generate an average gross annual output of about 458 million kilowatt-hours (kWh). The site will include an intake approach channel, a reinforced concrete powerhouse and a tailrace channel. The powerhouse will house three horizontal 28-MW bulb-type turbine and generating units with an estimated total rated capacity of 84 MW at a gross head of 25 feet.”
The website said the other three projects are:
- The Meldahl facility, currently under construction, which will become the largest hydroelectric plant on the Ohio River. The 105-MW Meldahl plant is scheduled to be commercially available in 2014;
- The Smithland facility, currently under development, will add 72 MW of renewable generation to the region and is located near Smithland, Ky.; and
- The Willow Island facility, currently under development, will add 35 MW of renewable generation to the region. The plant, located near St. Marys, W.Va., is scheduled to be commercially available in 2015.
