Maine Hydro Project Files for License Renewal, Invites Public Gripes
Published Date: 9/19/2025
Notice
Summary
KEI (Maine) Power Management wants to renew its license to keep running the Barker Mill Upper Hydroelectric Project on the Little Androscoggin River in Auburn, Maine. This means local communities and energy users should pay attention because the project affects how power is made and managed in the area. You’ve got until November 16, 2025, to speak up if you want to join the conversation or raise concerns.
Analyzed Economic Effects
7 provisions identified: 6 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Settlement Requires Fish Passage Coordination
The Settlement between KEI Power and federal and state agencies requires coordinating the time frame for providing upstream and downstream fish passage at the Upper Barker Project for species including American eel, river herring, American shad, sea lamprey, and Atlantic salmon.
License Terms Aligned and Extended
The Settlement calls for aligning license terms by extending the Lower Barker Project license term from 40 years to 50 years and requesting a license term of 47 years for the Upper Barker Project.
Deadline to Intervene or Protest
If you want to intervene or file a protest about the Barker Mill Upper Hydroelectric Project, you must file a motion to intervene or a protest by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on November 16, 2025.
Minimum and Seasonal Flows Will Be Aligned
The Settlement provides for aligning the minimum and seasonal flows at the Upper Barker and the Lower Barker Projects, changing how water releases are coordinated between the two projects.
New Stewardship Fund to Benefit Habitat
The Settlement establishes an off-license agreement to fund an Androscoggin Basin Stewardship Fund, administered by the Maine Department of Marine Resources, to benefit spawning and rearing habitat in the basin.
Agencies Will Support LIHI Certification Request
The Settlement assures, through an off-license agreement, the resource agencies' support for KEI Power's request for Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) certification for the Upper Barker Project.
FERC Office Offers Public Participation Help
FERC's Office of Public Participation (OPP) can help members of the public — including landowners, community organizations, and Tribal members — access public information and navigate filings, and can assist with making filings such as interventions and comments.
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