Processing Your Payment

Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.

August 30, 2019

MDC to decommission hydropower facility

Photo | Contributed One of the Colebrook hydropower turbines
By Matt Pilon

The Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) plans to decommission one of its two hydropower facilities in the state.

The 3-megawatt Colebrook Hydroelectric Facility is located on the Colebrook River Lake Dam on the western branch of the Farmington River.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to start a several months-long project at the dam in September, repairing hydraulic cylinders and position indicator rods. That will require a 70-foot drawdown of the West Branch Reservoir, and would also require temporary removal of the hydro turbine facilities. The reservoir is not used for drinking water.

The three turbines at the facility -- which generate enough energy to serve approximately 1,000 homes -- are located on the upstream side of the dam, which MDC said makes Colebrook “one of the country’s most unique hydropower facilities.”

But the 1988 turbines are nearing the end of their operational life and require major maintenance, MDC wrote this week to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which licenses the facility.

The turbines provide about $225,000 in annual revenue, but also pay $100,000 in local property taxes. MDC, which is the operator and licensee of the hydro facility, under an agreement with the Army Corps, said it’s determined that the continued operation of the facility isn’t financially viable.

Sign up for Enews

Most Recent

Most Recent

2 Comments

Anonymous
September 14, 2019

A $100,000.00 property tax is a big reason they feel it is not viable. So when they decommission it they will get $ Zero. Greedy government. Not very smart.

Anonymous
August 30, 2019

As one who once lived just "down the road" from this small hydro facility, I was thrilled when MDC first installed this renewable energy addition. I would really like to know if MDC and the Army Corp of Engineers have investigated some of the other state funding currently available which was not around when this originally went in. For instance, carbon offset funds, renewabl energy funds from CT DEEP and any federal program that might help. While small, it would be a pity to lose this small. local piece of renewable energy history.

Order a PDF