Vermont Hydro Project License Application Opens for Comments
Published Date: 3/10/2025
Notice
Summary
Missisquoi, LLC wants a new license to run the Sheldon Springs Hydroelectric Project on the Missisquoi River in Vermont. The government is now reviewing the application and asking the public to share their thoughts or concerns within 60 days. This could affect local energy and the environment, so it’s a big deal for nearby communities and anyone interested in clean power.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Project power size and annual generation
Missisquoi proposes a hydroelectric project with a total installed capacity of 20.5 megawatts (two 10.25 MW turbines) and reported average annual energy production of 69,277 megawatt-hours from 2010 through 2020. The project transmits electricity via 46-kV lines to the grid.
Decommissioning and project boundary reduction
Missisquoi proposes to remove a net total of 39.45 acres from the current project boundary and to decommission the 140-foot penstock, the Grinder Room Powerhouse (including Units 4 and 5), and a 13-foot-wide gate. These changes alter which lands and facilities remain part of the licensed project.
Flow operations and minimum flow protections
Missisquoi proposes to continue operating the project in run-of-river mode and to release specified minimum flows: approximately 70 cubic feet per second (cfs) to the upper bypassed reach and 285 cfs (or inflow, whichever is less) downstream of the South Mill Powerhouse tailrace to the lower bypassed reach. The application also includes an impoundment refill procedure passing 90% of inflow downstream and using 10% to refill the impoundment in a drawdown.
Recreation access, whitewater releases, and aesthetic flows
The application keeps and proposes specific recreation measures: maintained canoe portage and picnic sites, a new two-car parking area, and an aesthetic spillway flow of about 13 cfs (or inflow, whichever is less) over the flashboards from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from May 1 to October 31. Missisquoi also proposes to provide up to six whitewater flows per year in consultation with American Whitewater and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, ramping generation by 500 cfs per hour when doing so.
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Key Dates
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