Federal energy regulators recently issued a letter determining that a proposed Utah hydropower project meets criteria for development without the need of a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) hydropower license, under section 30 of the Federal Power Act (FPA). Castle Valley Special Service District’s proposed Ferron Water Treatment Plant Project would generate electricity using the pressure of water in an existing conduit entering a drinking water treatment plant.
On January 27, 2016, the Castle Valley Special Service District filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission a notice of intent to construct a 6-kilowatt in-conduit hydroelectric net metered system. The District is a tax exempt municipal government entity that, among other services, provides drinking water to the residents of Ferron City and Clawson Town. Water from the Millsite Reservoir would be transmitted to the treatment plant in a conduit owned by Ferron City and the District. Excess pressure in the incoming untreated water would flow through a pressure reducing valve and turbine hydropower generator.