Saying there is already a hydroelectric license issued for this site, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Oct. 12 rejected a March 2015 application from Lock 11 Hydro Partners for a preliminary permit on the Lock 11 Hydroelectric Station Project to be located at the Kentucky River Authority’s Lock and Dam #11, on the Kentucky River in Estill and Madison counties, Kentucky.
In April 2015, FFP Project 92 LLC filed an application for an original major license for the Kentucky River Lock and Dam #11 Hydroelectric Project at this site.
The application for a preliminary permit was accepted and public noticed in April 2015. The processing of the permit application was held in abeyance while the license application was processed. The license application was public noticed as accepted and ready for environmental analysis in September 2015. An original license was issued on May 5, 2016.
And so, the Lock 11 Partners competing preliminary permit application is being dismissed. This Oct. 12 order constitutes final agency action. Any party may file a request for rehearing of this order within 30 days of the date of its issuance.
As noted, FERC on May 5 approved an April 2015 application from FFP Project 92 LLC for an original license to construct and operate the 5-MW Kentucky River Lock and Dam No. 11 Hydroelectric Project (L&D 11 Project). The L&D 11 Project dam is located at river mile (RM) 201.
The project will include the following new facilities: a 275-foot-long, 75-foot-wide reinforced concrete intake located in the abandoned lock and partly within an existing esplanade; a 260-foot-long, 47-foot-high intake channel guide wall to be installed along the esplanade to convey flows to be used for generation into a 30-foot-long, 47- foot-high, 64.5-foot-wide intake and headgate structure to be built within the existing lock structure and extending beyond the south lock wall into the riverbank; and trash racks with 3-inch clear bar spacing to be installed on the project intake.
The powerhouse will contain two 2.5-MW horizontal pit Kaplan turbine generator units, for a total installed capacity of 5 MW. Flows exiting the powerhouse will be returned to the Kentucky River through a 190-foot-long, 78-foot-wide reinforced concrete tailrace channel with a 295-foot-long, 35-foot-high retaining wall.
