FERC continues Grant Lake hydro scoping

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a revised scoping document for an environmental impact statement for a proposed hydroelectric facility at Grant Lake on the Kenai Peninsula. In early September the agency held a scoping meeting in the town of Moose Pass, near the location of the proposed power plant. The agency has also been accepting written comments on the proposed development.

Kenai Hydro LLC, a subsidiary of the Alaska Electric and Energy Cooperative, the business entity that operates power generation and transmission facilities as a part of Homer Electric Association, is proposing to build the hydropower system to help meet Homer Electric’s goal for the use of renewable energy in the utility’s power generation mix.

Grant Lake is an L-shaped water body in the hills above and to the east of the Seward Highway, where the highway runs through the valley of Moose Pass, with Grant Creek flowing from Grant Lake into Lower Trail Lake, just south of the southern end of Upper Trail Lake. Construction of the five-megawatt hydro facility would involve diverting water from Grant Lake through a tunnel to a powerhouse near the outlet of Grant Creek canyon, a natural rock canyon.

The project has raised numerous concerns about possible impacts on the Kenai River watershed. The historic Iditarod Trail from Seward to Nome also passes through the project area, a situation that has required discussions over any conflicts with the trail route.

In its revised scoping document, FERC says that its EIS will consider the proposed design of the hydro facility, any recommendations for modification to that design, and the possibility of denying a license for the project.

- ALAN BAILEY