News Release:
Energy Trust of Oregon Helps Albany Restart Hydro Turbine


The City of Albany will move ahead with plans to restart the City?s hydroelectric generation turbine, thanks in part to a grant from the Energy Trust of Oregon.
The Albany City Council approved the $1.057 million project on Monday, March 10, 2003. The Energy Trust has committed $475,000 toward the cost.

? We are pleased to be Albany?s partner in bringing a splendid renewable resource back into service,? said Margie Harris, Executive Director of the Energy Trust. ?We have high hopes that it will propel irrigation districts around the state to think about other hydropower applications.?

The Energy Trust of Oregon is an independent, nonprofit public-purpose organization created to help Oregonians save money on energy, increase the efficiency of homes and businesses, and enjoy the benefits of renewable energy.

The City?s turbine is located in the Water Treatment Plant at Third Avenue and Vine Street and has been powered by water from the Santiam-Albany Canal, the source of Albany?s drinking water. The turbine was installed in 1924 and substantially refurbished before the City bought the water system from Pacific Power in 1984. It was shut down in 1991 after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruled that the City needed a power generation license. FERC granted the City a 50-year license in 1998 and has given the City until 2008 to comply with environmental requirements to operate the turbine.

An earlier analysis showed that restarting the facility would not be cost-effective, but the decision to build the Albany-Millersburg Joint Water Facility has changed that. The new water plant will become the primary drinking water source for Albany and Millersburg, with the historic water plant used only during peak periods in summer months. Because of the new treatment plant, it will no longer be necessary to completely dredge the canal to provide enough water for both drinking and hydro generation, saving about $5 million.

With the help of the Energy Trust, the turbine will get a new turbine runner and electrical switch panels to connect it to the electrical grid. The City does not expect to generate power at full capacity until 2005, after fish screens have been installed at the head gate of the canal east of Lebanon, and improvements are made at the diversion dam to make it safer for fish to pass.

The City plans to sell power generated by the turbine to Pacific Power, and hopes to start seeing a net return in 2014.

For more information regarding this news release, contact:
Bob Woods, Special Project Coordinator/Fiscal Manager, (541) 917-7654

For general information regarding the City of Albany, contact:
Marilyn Smith
Public Information Officer
(541) 917-7507