Overview
Great River Hydro’s hydroelectric projects on the Connecticut and Deerfield Rivers consist of generation facilities and associated storage reservoirs located in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts.
The current licenses for each of the Wilder, Bellows Falls, and Vernon Hydroelectric Projects were issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 1979 for terms of 40 years for each project. On January 24, 2005, FERC approved the transfer of the license to TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc. On April 19, 2017, Great River Hydro, LLC acquired all of TransCanada's New England hydroelectric power portfolio which included the three projects. The current licenses for each of the three projects expire on April 30, 2019.
Great River Hydro is using FERC’s Integrated Licensing Process (ILP) as set forth in Title 18 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.), Part 5 as the process to relicense each of the projects. Read more about the ILP process.
As part of the ILP, TransCanada has filed with FERC on October 31, 2012, the required Notice of Intent (NOI) and Pre-Application Document (PAD) for the relicensing of:
- Wilder Hydroelectric Project, FERC No. 1892
- Bellows Falls Hydroelectric Project, FERC No. 1855
- Vernon Hydroelectric Project, FERC No. 1904
This filing marks the beginning of a 5 year relicensing process for each project. A process plan and schedule was developed for each project in accordance with the ILP based on the NOI and PAD filing date of October 31, 2012. Each PAD includes the process plan and schedule for the project and outlines the specific timeframes, deadlines, and responsibilities of FERC, Licensee, and other stakeholders in the ILP from the filing of the NOI and PAD through filing of the License Application. By regulation, Great River Hydro, resource agencies, Native American tribes, and FERC must now adhere to this regulatory schedule. Great River Hydro is committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure the expeditious resolution of any issues.