On Feb. 6, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a preliminary permit for Houtama Hydropower LLC for a 2.3-MW hydro project in Oregon.
In August 2013, Houtama Hydropower filed an application for a preliminary permit so it could study the feasibility of the McKay Dam Hydroelectric Project, to be located on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s existing McKay Dam near the city of Pendleton in Umatilla County, Ore. This permit gives the company a three-year exclusivity period to look at project feasibility, with a license application then needed if the project moves forward from there.
The proposed project would utilize flows from the existing McKay Reservoir, and would consist of the following new features: a 48-inch diameter, 60-foot-long steel penstock that extends from the existing dam penstock to a powerhouse; a 20-foot by 30-foot powerhouse; a single 2.3-MW turbine/generator; a switchyard with a 69-kV step-up transformer; and an approximately 3,000-foot-long, 69-kV transmission line interconnecting to the Pacific Power distribution system.
The estimated annual generation of the project would be 5 gigawatt-hours.
