Project meets challenge

Maintaining hydropower generation is among the key benefits of the Penobscot River Restoration Project, contrary to Mr. Bigney’s letter, “Project a net loss” (BDN, Dec. 18). The project meets a critical challenge of our time: to produce renewable energy while restoring other valuable river assets including fisheries, wildlife, tradition, culture and economic opportunity.

PPL and other parties worked hard to find opportunities to maintain energy levels. The result: an innovative reconfiguration of power generation that would maintain virtually all pre-project energy generation through more efficient and increased energy generation at other PPL dams. These energy benefits are best described in terms of “generation” – energy actually produced – as opposed to “capacity,” which is the amount of energy potentially produced only under optimum conditions.

The Penobscot project already has resulted in an additional 10,000 megawatt-hours of generation per year. Repowering the Orono dam as already approved by regulators will add at least an additional 17,000 megawatt-hours of generation per year. Combined, these changes increase PPL’s existing Maine hydroelectric generation by more than 10 percent. After three dams are decommissioned to open sea-run fish passage, PPL can then reuse turbines at remaining dams to generate additional energy to replace the rest of lost generation.

The Penobscot project both maintains hydropower generation and removes barriers for sea-run fish to achieve the most significant sea-run fisheries restoration in the nation. Simply put, the project helps ensure that we do not have to choose between healthy fisheries and energy on the future Penobscot.

Laura Rose Day

Executive Director

Penobscot River Restoration Trust

Old Town and Augusta