Hydropower Resource Assessment at Existing Reclamation Facilities

Chapter 1Introductionforecasts and renewable energy incentives could be enticing private entities topursue hydropower projects. As a result, the Commissioner of Reclamation hasdirected the Power Resources Office to update and expand the scope andeconomic analysis of the original 1834 Study.The Hydropower Resource Assessment at Existing Reclamation Facilities hasthe following study objectives:Assess the potential for developing new hydropower capacity andgeneration at existing Reclamation facilities.Determine the economic viability of hydropower production at existingReclamation facilities.Document economically viable opportunities for future hydroelectricpower development.The assessment is mainly targeted towards providing preliminary informationfor municipalities and private developers that could further evaluate thepotential to increase hydropower production at Reclamation sites. Developerscould use the information provided in this assessment to focus more detailedanalysis on sites that demonstrate a reasonable potential for being economicallyand financially viable.1.3 Resource Assessment OverviewThe 530 Reclamation-owned sites identified in the 1834 Study are used as thestarting point for the Resource Assessment. The sites are spread throughoutReclamation’s five regions (Great Plains, Lower Colorado, Mid-Pacific, PacificNorthwest, and Upper Colorado) covering 17 western states. Figure 1-1 showsthe distribution of the 530 sites, which makes up the assessment study area.Rather than applying a screening process as used in the 1834 Study, theResource Assessment evaluates all 530 sites, including those with low hydraulichead, low capacity, or regulatory conflicts, as potential for new hydropowerdevelopment. For this assessment, Reclamation developed and applied theHydropower Assessment Tool, an Excel-based model, to evaluate powerpotential and economic benefits and costs of each site. In addition to analysis ofeach site, the Resource Assessment also added some key components to theanalysis not included in the 1834 Study, including:Green incentives in the economic benefits analysis.Turbine types and efficiency specified for each site as indicated by theavailable hydraulic head and flow.1-4 – March 2011