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FERC announces acceptance of LEAPS for filing

August 12, 2019 by kierstin

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced it accepted Nevada Hydro’s Lake Elsinore Advanced Pump Storage Project, more commonly known as LEAPS, for filing. A notice issued by FERC stated that while the application has been accepted for filing, it is not ready for environmental analysis at the time.

The agency made the announcement, Friday, July 26, in a notice issued by FERC Secretary Kimberly D. Bose, saying staff had determined that LEAPS qualified as a major infrastructure project “pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding Implementing One Federal Decision under Executive Order 13807” effective April 10.

The move will allow for LEAPS, proposed to be located on Lake Elsinore and the San Juan Creek near the city of Lake Elsinore and occupying roughly 845 acres of federal land in the Cleveland National Forest to move forward in the application process.

Should the project be approved it would consist of a new upper reservoir located in Decker Canyon with a 200-foot-high main dam and a gross storage volume of 5,750 acre-feet at a normal reservoir surface elevation of 2,792 feet above mean sea level, a powerhouse with two reversible pump-turbine units with a total installed capacity of 500 megawatts and about 32 miles of 500-kilovolt transmission line connecting the project to an existing transmission line owned by Southern California Edison located north of the proposed project and to an existing San Diego Gas and Electric Company transmission line located to the south. The existing lake would be used as a lower reservoir for the project.

A copy of the application is available using FERC’s website at http://www.ferc.gov and clicking on the “elibrary” link.

Anyone may submit a protest or motion to intervene, and those intending to do so now have 60 days from the announcement to file motions in regard to the project. According to the FERC notice, motions to intervene and protests can be filed online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp or by sending them through mail to Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20426. The first page of any filing should include the docket number, P-14227-003.

Under FERC’s rules of practices and procedures require all intervenors filing documents with the commission to serve a copy of that document on each person on the official service list for the project. If an intervenor files comments or documents with the commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency and all motions to intervene or protests must be received by the commission on before the specified deadline date.

Interested parties can register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov.

“When the application is ready for environmental analysis, the commission will issue a public notice requesting comments, recommendations, terms and conditions or prescriptions,” Bose said.

Kim Harris can be reached by email at valleyeditor@reedermedia.com.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Pumped Energy Storage: Vital to California’s Renewable Energy Future

May 14, 2019 by kierstin

Executive Summary

California is a world leader in renewable energy. The state already sources  nearly one-third of its power from renewables, mainly solar and wind. With recent legislation in place, renewable energy will increase to 60 percent or more by   2030. In tandem with renewable energy goals, the state is striving for 100 percent clean energy by 2045 to fight global warming. Shifting to more renewable energy requires forward thinking to balance supplies and demands while optimizing the use of these renewables for California ratepayers. Since renewable energy sources in California are largely from solar and wind, leveraging these resources requires additional electrical grid flexibility that can be best provided by energy  storage.

This renewable energy revolution is attractive for California, but it requires sustained support that will hinge on three factors. First, California must assure its ratepayers that a renewable grid will be cost-effective and reliable. Second, it must show that the renewable energy revolution will promote inclusive growth—with good jobs created in California and kept in California. And finally, it must ensure that the shift to renewables also delivers on the state’s goals to fight climate

Making Renewable Power a Reality

A massive shift to renewables will require new kinds of investments, markets,   and business practices. Electric grids will need to be more flexible; new kinds of power supplies will help deliver energy flexibility when needed; and new pricing systems are needed to send clear signals to consumers so that they adjust their energy usage based on the times of day when electricity is most plentiful. What’s unclear is how quickly or effectively all these changes will be realized and  how these changes will align with what is best for California. For example, large electric grids across the Western U.S. can help import renewable electricity, but such investments won’t create jobs from a renewable energy revolution in California.

While many pieces are needed in California’s energy puzzle to make the shift to renewable power, there is one piece that will become pivotally important: energy storage. Perhaps more than anything else, energy storage will be the key to a successful California renewable energy revolution.

The Pivotal Role of Large-Scale Energy Storage

Large-scale energy storage provides four interconnected services that are  essential to facilitating California’s big shift to renewables: 1) balancing generation with demand; 2) improving transmission efficiency; 3) providing electric grid stability; and 4) shifting power supply over long  periods.

Large-scale energy storage is a highly cost-effective way to provide each of these services. Academic research and practical experience show that energy storage is vital to integrating renewable power in ways that keep the electric grid reliable. Energy storage can also help ensure that renewable power is used both day and night, making it easier to move beyond fossil fuels and help California meet its ambitious climate goals.

Read the original article here:

Pumped Energy Storage: Vital to California’s Renewable Energy Future

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Letter to the Editor

May 9, 2019 by kierstin

Valley News recently published an article summarizing comments from Kierstin Ross, a project manager at Nevada Hydro, who recalls the unexpected eventful meeting that took place with the Lake Elsinore Council on April 9th, 2019.  The following text is directly from the article:

 

Dear Editor:

We were surprised when Council voted to oppose our proposed pumped hydro storage project at its April 9 meeting. We were told LEAPS was on the agenda for consideration, not for decision, and came prepared to discuss the three topics outlined in the agenda – and answer questions.  We have been meeting with councilors and City staff since early 2018, and thought they understood that we are too early in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licensing process to answer all their questions. We have always been open and accessible, have answered the questions we can, and committed to answering many more as we work through the licensing process. At some point, a formal presentation to Council would have been useful.

We have invited Council to “hold our feet to the fire” to provide benefits to Lake Elsinore and region. We have asked staff to prepare “wish lists” that we can build into the evolving project design. We have committed to working closely with the Lake Elsinore and San Jacinto Watersheds Authority (LESJWA, on which the City is represented) and the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board to optimize the potential benefits expert research shows the project can have on restoring Lake Elsinore, reducing the algae blooms and fish kills, and improving recreation on the lake.

We have asked Council and area residents to keep an open mind regarding potential benefits that can only be evaluated later in the FERC process when environmental and cultural resources studies, geotechnical studies and many others, as well the CEQA 401 process are complete. At this stage, there are many options available for project design and electricity transmission routes.

Council’s action was premature and didn’t allow for a public discussion of facts and mitigation of issues identified by residents. It appears to have been based on old information, impatience with our FERC-directed progress, and unfounded allegations from a small number of area residents that do not reflect the facts and research presented to date.

The citizens of Lake Elsinore are right to raise concerns about any major project of this scope. Our research shows that less than 20 percent of the area residents are aware of the project, and many of them say they can’t make an informed decision yet. Residents also deserve to maximize the public benefit from such a project, if it proceeds. We expected the experienced local government would be leveraging this project on their behalf and holding us accountable for delivery. At this early stage, Council should be saying “We can’t support the project until you do all this” not “we will pre-empt discussion of potential benefit.”

Kierstin Ross

Project Manager

Lake Elsinore Advanced Pumped Storage (LEAPS)

 

Read the original article on Valley News Website:
Letter to the Editor

Filed Under: Uncategorized

LEAPS Takes Center Stage at LE Council Meeting, Information Shared not Accurate

May 9, 2019 by kierstin


Kim Harris photo

Lake Elsinore Deputy City Attorney David Mann gives a presentation about how pumped storage works and how the LEAPS project would affect the city during the April 9 Lake Elsinore City Council Meeting.

In front of a packed house, Lake Elsinore City Council went on record as opposing Nevada Hydro’s proposed Lake Elsinore Advanced Pump Storage project, or LEAPS, during its Tuesday, April 9, meeting in a unanimous vote with all council members present.

Following more than 60 minutes of public comments, the council acted on the staff recommendation to oppose LEAPS, but according to Nevada Hydro’s LEAPS Project Manager Kiersten Ross, the information shared at that meeting was not all accurate.

“At this stage they don’t seem to understand the basics,” Ross said, expressing her disappointment in those at city hall who have been involved with the project. “Perhaps that’s our fault, despite many discussions to date in not clarifying the FERC timeline and process and how this project application differs from its predecessor. There’s a lot of misinformation out there, and we’re hoping residents and officials keep an open mind until they have the facts to make an informed decision.”

Ross, who said she was surprised by the vote, said that she thought the project was on the agenda so they could have an open discussion regarding some of the questions brought up by the city.

“This caught us off guard,” she said. “It is so shocking because we’ve met with councillors and worked with staff over the past 16 months.”

Ross said that the city manager had contacted Nevada Hydro, told them they were on the agenda and encouraged them to attend.

“We literally thought this was an information session. We prepared answers to their three agenda items that I addressed briefly,” she said. “We weren’t afforded any rebuttal at all.”

The Lake Elsinore assistant city manager gave a presentation on the project to council, saying that advanced pump storage had been around for a long time.

“There are about 40 of them in the United States and the fundamental principles of advanced storage are surprisingly straightforward even though the projects are quite involved in terms of the technicalities of them,” Mann said.

According to Mann, projects such as LEAPS start with a lower body of water, usually a lake that is already there, and are typically near a mountain or ridgeline that can hold an upper reservoir. A tunnel is constructed between the reservoir and the body of water. At the bottom of the tunnel is a reversible turbine. In the instance of LEAPS, water from the top reservoir, which would be built in Decker Canyon, flows down and turns the turbine and goes into the bottom reservoir, which in this case would be Lake Elsinore. The powerhouse for the project would be about the size of a football field and located 300 feet underground near Grand Avenue and Santa Rosa Drive in the Lakeland Village area.

“I believe it is fair to say that those property owners over there are the ones who would be affected most by construction,” Mann said.

Mann said that once the project is up and running as proposed, it would create about 500 megawatts of electricity.

“That equates to enough electricity for between 400 and 500,000 homes,” he said, adding that the turbines could run about 12 hours at a time maximum.

To connect to the grid, the LEAPS project would have 32 miles of high-power transmission lines inside the boundaries of the Cleveland National Forest that connect to existing power transmission lines around the Lee Lake area or the Alberhill substation if approved by the California Public Utilities Commission to the north and by U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton to the south.

While Nevada Hydro said the information shared is basically correct, what was shared at the meeting was not an accurate representation of the project as it stands today.

After more than two dozen public comments, members of council spoke publicly on their impression of the project.

“There are some big challenges with that,” Councilwoman Natasha Johnson said. “The evaporation process going forward, we need to know what metric is being used for the evaporation rate. We have been told that 1,240 (feet in lake levels) is obtainable forever, but we don’t know a metric is, what that evaporation rate will happen.”

Nevada Hydro representative John Sparks said that the metric Johnson referred to is determined by Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District.

“Lake levels are the responsibility of the city and the EVMWD under a long-term legal agreement,” Sparks said. “The EVMWD currently puts about 5,000 acre-feet of reclaimed water in the lake annually and is on the record of wanting to grow that to 9,000. The LEAPS water would assist in helping maintain lake levels and also improving water quality.”

Johnson said that she read a research report prepared by Dr. Michael Anderson, which was more than 200 in-depth pages and that she understood it was favorable to the project, but that it did not address some big concerns.

“These concerns are something that we have talked about from the inception of this conversation,” Johnson said. “Turbidity, water quality, our fishery and ecology, shoreline changes and overall what happens to our lake in dissolved oxygen.”

According to Sparks, the issues mentioned by Johnson are the mandate of Lake Elsinore and San Jacinto Water Authority, where the city is represented.

“Dr. Anderson had previously researched and reported on these items for LESJWA,” he said. “As Councilor Johnson knows from the report, Dr. Anderson’s study responds to several of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board questions. There will be more research done for LESJWA and as part of the CEQA 401 Water Quality Certification filing with the RWQCB. Nevada Hydro will update this information as it becomes available.”

Johnson said while Anderson’s report did discuss dissolved oxygen, it only talked about how it could possibly improve the lake.

“Dissolved oxygen, as anyone here from the lake knows, is how ecology works,” she said. “So, working with us and the statement you made, that’s a difficult statement.”

According to Sparks, the report concluded, which has not yet been verified by Valley News, that maintaining adequate dissolved oxygen in the lake is a key objective, which is why Nevada Hydro would install axial flow pumps and diffused aeration systems.

“While both systems provide mixing energy, they often struggle to maintain dissolved oxygen during periods of limited natural mixing and intense oxygen demand,” he said. “The study concluded that the design, installation and operation of LEAPS presents an opportunity to enhance lake water conditions through increased mixing, improved dissolved oxygen levels, reduced fish kills, lower recycling of phosphorus from bottom sediments and reduced chlorophyll concentrations.”

Sparks said that while not proposed as part of the license application for the project, Anderson predicted that augmenting dissolved oxygen levels in return flows to the lake – either via injection or the use of aerating turbines – would provide significant additional ongoing benefits to water quality beyond initial State Water Project water dilution.

“LEAPS is currently in contact with LESJWA to discuss modification of the project to include such elements,” he said.

According to Johnson, she and Mayor Steve Manos had met with Nevada Hydro to discuss the city’s concerns in 2018, and despite giving the corporation representatives a checklist of what was needed, those issues were not addressed.

“I would love to hear that you have addressed our concerns and are giving us meaningful answers in your statements as you said. But, unfortunately, that is not the case; that is definitely not the case,” Johnson said, adding that it had been a trying time to stay hopeful in conversation with Nevada Hydro and that the company would do the best thing for the city’s residents and hear the city’s concerns.

“We actually gave you a white paper of things you needed to do, and at that point, we were basically a ‘check the box’ item and you moved on,” Johnson said, adding that she was in full support of opposing the project.

The white paper, according to Sparks, had never come up in any of his conversations with Johnson but she had previously brought up the since-settled lawsuit between Nevada Hydro and EVMWD as well as a long-term sustainable lake management plan.

“She initially told us in early 2018 to settle our differences with EVMWD and engage with the community,” he said. “We’ve done both, but the latter will be better and expand as we work through the FERC process. The last time we met her as mayor, she requested a long-term sustainable lake management plan. While this is LESJWA’s mandate, we are happily working to contribute to that.”

Manos said there were a number of issues related to the project and that there was communication from FERC asking project proponents to amend the proposal so that it would operate at a water level of 1,235 feet, not the 1,240 feet which is the minimum water level for good water quality in Lake Elsinore.

Sparks said that FERC merely noted that the project could technically operate at 1,235 feet.

“We all know from last December what those levels are like, and our 15,000 acre-feet and make-up of associated evaporative losses should help with this issue,” Sparks said. “And I’m sure we all hope the EVMWD can make its target of 9,000 acre-feet per year of reclaimed water additions that they’ve committed to.”

Spark said that from Nevada Hydro’s standpoint, the project would maintain the 6,000 acre-feet in the Decker reservoir and will maintain the 9,000 acre-feet of SWP water in the lake “that we will acquire through EVMWD.”

“We will in no way be responsible or any drop in the lake levels because we are not relying on or using any lake water volumes we have not purchased,” Sparks said.

“There are impacts here that cannot be mitigated. There are dangers that are created here that cannot be mitigated that much is clear,” Manos said, adding that there was no way the project as proposed was supportable in “any way, shape or form.”

“As to the fire hazard, 500 kV lines have not been associated with wildfires, they will be de-energized during a fire event for the safety of firefighters,” Sparks said. “And aerial firefighting is done around de-energized lines. Nevada Hydro is not the expert, and it’s the experts at the Forest Service and Cal Fire who must respond. All required mitigation measures will be spelled out if a license is granted.”

Eminent domain was a concern for several residents who spoke during public comments, but at this time, Sparks said he didn’t know how many homes would need to be purchased or landowners would need to be compensated until Nevada Hydro had an approved transmission route and designs for the facilities were determined.

“We will pay fair market value. But even without those issues being settled, we know it will be a fraction of the rumors we’re hearing,” Sparks said.

Sparks said that Nevada Hydro has always made themselves available to council and staff and had met with all councilmembers with the exception of Mayor Pro Tem Brian Tisdale.

“We believed last Tuesday was to be an information exchange to clarify misinformation and answer what questions we could,” Sparks said. “We acknowledge that there is not enough information for council to make an informed final decision, and many answers will not be available until FERC accepts our application and until we are at the point where we can begin finalizing design options.

 

Read the original article here:
My Valley News: LEAPS Takes Center Stage at LE Council Meeting, Information Share not Accurate, Nevada Hydro says

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

How Does A Battery Work?

February 28, 2019 by kierstin

The video below not only explains how batteries operate but it also busts some myths about them.  Click the link below to learn some interesting facts about the batteries that power your life.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Lack of Guarantees Puts LEAPS Opposition Group on High Alert

February 28, 2019 by kierstin

A group of Lake Elsinore residents are fighting against the approval of the Lake Elsinore Advanced Pump Storage project – or LEAPS – Nevada Hydro’s flagship project designed to respond to the growing need for reliable, renewable electricity.

The project, which was designed to help meet California’s emissions reductions programs signed into law by former Gov. Jerry Brown, has met with some strong resistance from residents of Lake Elsinore and the surrounding communities, as well as some government officials.

Assemblywoman for California’s 67th Assembly District Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, sent a letter last year, speaking out against the project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

“This project gives me and many of my constituents great concerns over the potential impacts to our community and little due diligence has been taken to mitigate those concerns,” she said in the letter.

Melendez cited the reason for her concerns as stemming from the changes to the city since the initial filings for the project began more than 10 years ago.

“Western Riverside County is one of the fastest growing regions in all of California, and since the inception of this project a decade ago, the landscape has change significantly,” she said.

Melendez pointed out that since the project’s initial inception, the population of the area has nearly doubled with a number of new commercial and residential developments in Temescal Valley and Lake Elsinore.

“Not to mention shifts in land rights the past 10 years,” she said. “When considering these significant changes to the area, it would be irresponsible to use any documentation accessing the potential impact of this project on the region from the original application.”

Melendez said should the application move forward that she believes Nevada Hydro should conduct a “full, new environmental study, scoping meetings” and cooperate with local stakeholders throughout the application process.

According to LEAPS project Communications Advisor John Sparks, new environmental and community impact studies are underway to update and complete Nevada Hydro’s application. When FERC accepts the application, it will issue a Ready for Environmental Analysis Notice, which starts a new level of review and engagement. Later in the process, FERC will hold public scoping meetings to solicit community input.

The STOP LEAPS group, consisting of a number of people who live in and around Lakeland Village, have many concerns regarding the energy generation and storage project, including a lack of guarantees for what the project will bring to the community and construction issues regarding the to-be-built Decker Canyon Reservoir.

Joe Folmar who is one of the more vocal members of the group said that his first concern was a lack of guarantees regarding the project which Nevada Hydro said was designed to help stabilize electric infrastructure and maximize the use of all forms of renewable energy.

“Nevada Hydro is currently offering no guarantees with anything on this project,” Folmar said. “They are using words like ‘should,’ or ‘maybe’ or ‘could’ or ‘if reasonable’ or ‘if available.’ Nothing is guaranteed, and I feel like with how much they are spending on this project they would have a little bit more of a guarantee for the concerned public.”

Sparks said that he understands this particular concern of residents but until the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepts the application and issues the “Ready for Environmental Analysis” notice, that much of the application is conceptual.

“Until we are further along in the FERC licensing process and finish our consultation with local agencies we have no certainty upon which to base guarantees,” Sparks said. “As a result, we make commitments that FERC and local and state authorities oversee. They become part of the license if a license is granted.”

Sparks said that Nevada Hydro is currently identifying issues and requests from impacted communities.

“If there is an approved project, we will deliver,” Sparks said. “For example, if we have FERC approval, we will import 15,000 acre feet of water as part of our agreement with the EVMWD, unless the lake is too high to accept all that water. If we have a project, we will work with the Water District to put the high-quality, imported water in the lake. That’s in writing with the EVMWD and with the FERC.”

Nevada Hydro settled a lawsuit with the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District in 2018, which stated EVMWD, who recently purchased water for Canyon Lake in 2018, will purchase the water using money provided by Nevada Hydro, to help raise the levels at Lake Elsinore and fill the proposed Decker Canyon Reservoir.

Another concern brought up by the STOP LEAPS group was the need to move dirt during the excavation for the Decker Canyon Reservoir, which would be built should the project win approval.

Folmar said that the project would require construction of infrastructure and that the structure of Decker Canyon is “not geographically suitable” to what Nevada Hydro is proposing.

“They are going to have to move mountains to put dams in, they are going to have to move a bunch of dirt and they aren’t talking about how much dirt they are going to have to take out of Decker Canyon and where they are going to put it to get the reservoir levels they are going to need up there,” Folmar said.

Folmar also discussed the “through earth construction” for the required tunneling to the turbine facility as well as the potential impacts to traffic.

“We recognize that construction of a major project will be inconvenient for some residents,” Sparks said. “However, we will be tunneling from the top of the mountain and using the excavated rock and earth to build the proposed Decker Canyon reservoir. It will not be trucked.”

Sparks said that while most of the excavated materials will be used in construction of the reservoir, there will be some material from the power plant excavation and digging the inlet-outlet facility that will have to be trucked. Approximately 8.8 million cubic yards of earth and rock will be excavated from the tunneling, and only 2.1 million cubic yards will be relocated, if it can’t be incorporated into the back of the dam

“We will work with the community, the city, and the county to determine the least impactful schedule. Local authorities will hold us to that schedule,” he said. “The majority of the excavated material will be used to build the Decker Canyon reservoir. A very small proportion will be trucked to a landfill.”

Sparks said that a traffic study is being completed as part of the FERC application process but that the most affected road in construction would be Grand Avenue.

“We will develop a schedule for that with public and local government input when designs are finalized and we have a better estimate of quantity,” Sparks said. “We will minimize the use of the Ortega Highway by using the majority of excavated material to build the Decker Canyon Reservoir which is where we will tunnel from.”

Full article can be found here:
https://www.myvalleynews.com/story/2019/02/15/news/lack-of-guarantees-puts-leaps-opposition-group-on-high-alert/64663.html?fbclid=IwAR10sQtOaJ4GD7ypZXWz9p5MBbqm0Xdt5thdaTvpO-6D2y1gl-cQOa-ueKQ

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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