About the Projects

Grant Lake / Falls Creek Project Description

Kenai Hydro, LLC filed a preliminary permit application with FERC on April 28, 2008 and was issued a permit on October 7, 2008. The purpose of the preliminary permit term is to determine the feasibility of a proposed project on Grant Lake and Creek in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska , and would occupy federal lands managed by the Chugach National Forest . A Pre-Application Document was filed with FERC on August 6, 2009. A revised project description was filed with FERC on August 13, 2010.

Grant Lake and Grant Creek Development

KHL was issued a preliminary permit to investigate a proposed hydropower development on Grant Creek near the outlet of Grant Lake. Several potential alternatives were reviewed for this project; the most promising alternative would use approximately 48,000 acre-feet of storage during operations between pool elevations of 687 and up to 700 feet above mean sea level. Storage would be obtained by raising the natural level of Grant Lake using a low diversion at the outlet and drawing down Grant Lake below its natural water level. The proposed lake level would range from approximately 2 feet above up to 11 feet below the natural lake elevation. (An alternative that does not raise the natural lake level is also being considered. The maximum lake level would be approximately 698 feet under this alternative.) An intake structure will be constructed approximately 500 feet east of the natural outlet of Grant Lake. An approximate 3,200-foot-long, 10-foot diameter horseshoe tunnel will convey water from the intake to directly above the powerhouse at about elevation 655 from mean sea level (MSL). At the outlet to the tunnel a 650-foot-long section of penstock will convey water to the powerhouse located at about elevation 526 feet MSL. An off-stream detention pond will be created to provide a storage reservoir for flows generated during the rare instance when the units being used for emergency spinning reserve area needed to provide full load at maximum ramping rates. The tailrace would be located in order to minimize impacts to fish habitat by returning flows to Grant Creek upstream of the most productive fish habitat.

Falls Creek Development

KHL was issued a preliminary permit to investigate a proposed hydropower project on Falls Creek and an alternative to divert water from Falls Creek via an approximately 13,000-foot-long pipe into Grant Lake to create increased generation capability at the proposed generation facility located on Grant Creek was considered This alternative is no longer under consideration. The proposed access road parallel to Falls Creek is still under consideration for access to the Grant Lake development.

Proposed Project Facilities

The Grant Lake/Grant Creek development is comprised of a diversion dam at the outlet to Grant Lake, an intake structure in Grant Lake, a tunnel, a surge tank, a penstock, a detention pond, a powerhouse, access roads, a switchyard with disconnect switch and step-up transformer, a breaker, and an overhead or underground transmission line, and a pole-mounted disconnect switch where the line intersects the existing City of Seward distribution line. The powerhouse will contain two Francis turbine generating units with a combined rated capacity of 5.0 MW with a total design flow of 385 cfs.

Crescent Lake Project Description

Kenai Hydro LLC explored the feasibility of developing a hydroelectric project on Crescent Lake, located 4 miles south of the community of Moose Pass, Alaska. Two preliminary alternatives, described below, were investigated for the Crescent Lake hydroelectric project. In October, 2009 Kenai Hydro LLC surrendered the preliminary permit for the Crescent Lake Project, after concluding that the project was not feasible.

A preliminary permit for a project on Ptarmigan Lake was also surrenderd in October, 2009.

Alternative 1 –Powerhouse at 550 ft on Carter Creek

Diversion of water from Crescent Lake would be via a simple intake structure located on the northeast corner of the lake. Water would be conveyed to the powerhouse via a 40-inch diameter 13,000-foot-long steel penstock (Figure 8). The powerhouse would be located around elevation 550 ft and would be a small structure that would contain a single Pelton-type turbine, synchronous generator and associated switchgear and controls. The powerhouse would discharge the generation water into Carter Creek . A fish passage structure would be incorporated at the mouth of Crescent Lake to allow fish to migrate into Crescent Creek for spawning. An instream flow release structure would be constructed at the natural outlet of Crescent Lake to flows back to Crescent Creek.

Alternative 2 – Run of the River – Powerhouse at 900 ft on Crescent Creek

This alternative consists of impounding water from Crescent Creek below the productive fish habitat reach downstream of the lake. A possible location for this impoundment is at a rock-walled canyon just upstream from the pedestrian bridge crossing Crescent Creek. A small concrete structure would be used to create the intake and divert the majority of the water flow. A run-of-river type of project would be considered for this site. Water would be conveyed to the powerhouse via a 40-inch diameter 15,000-foot-long steel penstock. The powerhouse would be located around elevation 900 ft and would be a small, reinforced structure that would contain a single Turgo-type turbine, synchronous generator and associated switchgear and controls. Water would be discharged upstream of the anadromous fish habitat zone