|
PacifiCorp
continues with
Klamath
licensing
process
Yreka's Siskiyou
Daily News -
Community
February 12,
2007
KLAMATH FALLS,
Ore. —
PacifiCorp
announced in a
recent press
release that it
is prepared to
meet and
implement the
federal agency
prescriptions
necessary to
relicense its
Klamath River
Hydroelectric
Project as part
of the Federal
Energy
Regulatory
Commission
licensing
process, while
still pursuing
an overall
solution via
settlement
discussions.
On Jan. 30, the
U.S. Department
of Interior’s
U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service
and the
Department of
Commerce’s
National Oceanic
and Atmospheric
Administration
Fisheries
Service
announced their
modified fishway
prescriptions
necessary for a
new operating
license in
FERC’s
proceedings.
Those
prescriptions
call for fish
ladders and
screens at four
dams as well as
other
improvements.
This marks a
significant
milestone in the
licensing
process.
Bill Fehrman,
president of
PacifiCorp
Energy, stated
in the release
that power
company had
“received
direction from
the federal
agencies of what
they believe is
necessary for
the successful
reintroduction
of salmon in the
Upper Klamath
Basin.”
He indicated
that PacifiCorps
will comply with
the direction
“if settlement
discussions are
not successful,”
PacifiCorp does
not own enough
generating
capacity to
supply its
customers’
energy
requirements,
according to the
release.
“For this
reason, the
company highly
values its
dependable hydro
resources,” the
release
reported.
The Klamath
Hydroelectric
Project is the
company’s third
largest hydro
project, and on
average can
supply the needs
of 70,000 homes
each year.
PacifiCorps
plans to
continue
operating the
Klamath Project,
but indicated
that it would
not rule out
“other
reasonable
outcomes” it
felt might be
achieved through
the alternative
settlement
process it
reported as
being underway
“in parallel
with the FERC
licensing
proceeding.”
The press
release
indicates that
PacifiCorp will
need “a
significant
amount” of new
generating
capacity by 2014
to meet
increased
customer demand
for electricity.
PacifiCorp
indicated in the
release that it
is working to
preserve its
position as a
“low-cost,
high-quality
provider of
energy” while
maintaining
respect for the
environment.
According to the
release,
PacifiCorp is
among those
companies
throughout the
U.S.
aggressively
installing wind
energy on behalf
of its
customers, and
hydro projects
provide back-up
power when the
wind is not
blowing.
“To firm-up
variable wind
generation, we
need the
available
capacity that
zero-emissions
hydro
electricity
provides,”
Fehrman stated.
He added that
studies
indicating that
continued
operations of
the Klamath
Project, with
improvements,
may be more
costly for
PacifiCorp
customers
compared with
decommissioning
“do not properly
reflect the
total value to
our customers
and are
therefore
incomplete, not
accurate and
misleading.”
“We respect the
process and
appreciate the
effort the
agencies have
put into
communicating
with us. We also
look forward to
additional talks
with all
settlement
parties and are
hopeful we can
move forward to
a mutually
agreeable
outcome,”
Fehrman stated
in the release.
He added that
PacifiCorps is
still willing to
consider “any
sensible
compromise” that
may come from
the settlement
process as long
as it protects
our customers’
interests and
respects the
company’s
property rights.
“However, if
that process
does not work
out, we’ll focus
our attention on
implementing the
agencies’
prescriptions to
help bring
migrating salmon
into the Upper
Klamath Basin,”
Fehrman said. |
