The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on July 15 approved a December 2015 application from Energy Resources USA Inc. for a preliminary permit to study the feasibility of the Cedar Creek Hydroelectric Project, to be located at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Cedar Creek Dam on the Cedar Creek River in Franklin County, Alabama.
The proposed project would consist of: a control structure with three 9.5-foot-wide, 25-foot-long spill gates; one 6-foot-diameter, 49-foot-long penstock with a butterfly valve; a bifurcation structure; two 4-foot-diameter, 32- foot-long penstocks; a powerhouse containing two generating units with a total capacity of 1.5 MW; a 1,000-foot-long, 220-foot-wide tailrace; a substation; and a 4.5-mile-long, 69-kV transmission line. The proposed project would have an estimated average annual generation of 5,500 megawatt-hours, and operate as directed by the Corps.
During the course of the three-year permit, the commission expects that the permittee will carry out prefiling consultation and study development leading to the possible development of a license application.
