Construction Gearing up This Fall after FERC Approves Operating-License Amendment
Federal regulators this week issued Puget Sound Energy a key amendment to the utility’s operating license for the Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Project, enabling PSE to move forward with major capital improvements at the 111-year-old power-generating facility 30 miles east of Seattle on the Cascade Mountains’ western slope.
Under the 40-year operating license PSE received five years ago from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the license amendment the commission issued Monday, the utility will be making substantial upgrades to the historic project’s power-generating infrastructure. PSE also will be making major enhancements to the recreational facilities it provides Snoqualmie Falls’ 2 million annual visitors.
“Snoqualmie Falls is a scenic and cultural treasure that’s also been giving our region clean, renewable, carbon-free energy for more than a century,” said Paul Wiegand, vice president of Power Generation for PSE. “With our amended license, we’re in a position to carry forward the project’s legacy well into the 21st century.”
With the license amendment now in hand, construction work will ramp up in September. Construction is anticipated to last, in stages, through 2014. Key power-related projects authorized by PSE’s 2004 license and this week’s license amendment include:
- Replacement of one generator in PSE’s Plant 2 powerhouse, and replacement of one generator and retrofitting of four circa-1898 generators in the historic Plant 1 powerhouse. The improvements will boost the operation’s efficiency, adding approximately 10 megawatts of generating capacity (to 54 MW total) without using additional water.
- Replacement of the water-intake structures and upgrade of the “penstocks” that deliver river water to the two powerhouses’ turbines. The penstocks are steel water pipes ranging between 280 and 520 feet in length and seven to 10 feet in diameter.
- Refurbishment of the existing concrete diversion dam that spans most of the Snoqualmie River just upstream from the crest of Snoqualmie Falls. The current dam, which varies between five and 18 feet in height, will be lowered by two feet and lengthened by 37 feet. The re-sized dam will reduce the crest of flood waters in the upstream city of Snoqualmie while providing better water conveyance to PSE’s powerhouses.
- Installation of automatic shutoff gates in the gatehouse above Plant 2 to quickly and safely halt the flow of water into the Plant 2 penstocks if an earthquake or other emergency ever caused a major leak in the penstocks.
- Installation of turbine-bypass valves at Plant 2 to provide full water-flow continuation into the Snoqualmie River during abrupt generator shutdowns so that the river’s flows for fish are unaffected.
Under the 2004 license, PSE will make significant improvements to its park and recreational facilities at Snoqualmie Falls. The recreational enhancements, set to begin this fall and continue in stages for three or four years, will require periodic closure of Snoqualmie Falls Park’s cliffside observation platform and other park areas. The work includes:
- Improved and reconfigured hiking trails and walkways in Snoqualmie Falls Park, including reconstruction of a boardwalk trail along the Snoqualmie River that leads to a stunning, river’s-edge view of Snoqualmie Falls.
- Better riverfront access and parking for kayakers and boaters downstream from Plant 2.
- New recreation facilities and public restrooms in the lower-park Plant 2 area.
- New interpretive signage and displays.
- Extensive landscaping and habitat restoration.
- New fencing and lighting.
PSE’s hydroelectric facility is part of the Snoqualmie Falls Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. To address the redevelopment project’s effects on the district, PSE has developed a comprehensive agreement with the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and other interested parties.
The agreement’s measures include PSE salvage and preservation of equipment, artifacts, photos, operational records, and other features from the Snoqualmie Falls operation - one of the Northwest’s first hydropower facilities and the world’s first completely underground powerhouse. (Plant 1, completed in 1898, lies within a bedrock-carved cavity 270 feet below ground, on the south bank, just upstream from the falls.) PSE’s plans also include rehabilitation of Plant 1’s Carpenter Shop and Train Depot (both circa 1900), which together are expected to display historically significant features from the Historic District for interpretation and education purposes.
PSE has developed a documentary on the unique history and challenges of developing the original Snoqualmie Falls Hydropower Project. Copies of the one-hour video will be provided to public libraries and schools across the Puget Sound region. PSE also is supporting the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation’s proposal to formally list Snoqualmie Falls as a “Traditional Cultural Property” in the National Register of Historic Places.
The 40-year operating license PSE received in 2004 for its Snoqualmie Falls hydropower operations contained a variety of FERC-approved plans for infrastructure upgrades. A year later, however, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers altered the Snoqualmie River’s channel upstream from the falls for flood-reduction purposes. The corps’ work changed the river’s bathymetry and prompted PSE to seek corresponding revisions in its infrastructure plans. The revised plans largely were incorporated into the license amendment FERC issued this week.
PSE estimates the total cost to redevelop its hydroelectric facility will be approximately $250 million.
Information on PSE’s Snoqualmie Falls improvement project, including the estimated start and completion dates for individual project elements and any needed public-access restrictions, will be updated at PSE.com.
About Puget Sound Energy
Washington state’s oldest and largest energy utility, with a 6,000-square-mile service area stretching across 11 counties, Puget Sound Energy serves more than 1 million electric customers and nearly 750,000 natural gas customers.PSE, a subsidiary of Puget Energy, meets the energy needs of its growing customer base primarily in Western Washington through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation, procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service to deliver energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible. For more information, visit PSE.com.
Contacts:
Puget Sound Energy
Roger Thompson, 888-831-7250