Federal energy regulators on Thursday rejected a plan to install a hydroelectric generator in the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock on the Mississippi River.
Feds reject hydroelectric plan on Upper St. Anthony Falls
The project is one of three hydro generators proposed on the upper falls.
February 5, 2015 at 9:31PM
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) denied the permit application of Symphony Hydro LLC to install twin generators in the lock. The boat passage through the upper falls will close by June 1 to halt the spread of invasive carp. The lock is upstream of the historic Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis.
The FERC order said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which owns and operates the lock and dam, "explicitly finds the proposed project to be incompatible" with the lock and therefore "no purpose would be served by issuing a permit."
The Minneapolis Park Board, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and a citizen group called the Friends of the Riverfront also had raised concerns about the project.
Symphony Hydro may request a hearing. Company executives could not be reached immediately to comment.
The project is one of three hydro generators proposed on the upper falls. Xcel Energy, the Minneapolis-based electric utility, already operates a hydropower generator there.
Here is the order:
The governor said it may be 2027 or 2028 by the time the market catches up to demand.
