Brookfield Power has completed more than US$2.3M in facility upgrades and environmental enhancements at six hydro power plants in Oswego County, New York, US.
The company performed work at four Oswego river hydroelectric facilities – Oswego Falls East, Fulton, Minetto, and Varick – as well as at two plants on the Salmon river, namely Bennetts Bridge and Lighthouse Hill.
Specific enhancement projects completed were:
* Oswego Falls East: Restored structural brick at the power house, implemented new oil containment measures, and rehabilitated the tailrace retaining wall.
* Fulton: Installed 1-inch-spaced trashracks, replacing the wider spaced trashracks previously in place. Also installed a new fish passage structure and restored the retaining wall in the plant’s power house yard.
* Minetto: Installed a new fish passage structure and implemented new oil containment measures.
* Varick: Installed an upstream American eel conveyance system, used seasonally during eel migration. Also installed a new oil containment system.
* Bennetts Bridge: Completed concrete resurfacing on the dam.
* Lighthouse Hill: Implemented substation and power house oil containment system.
These improvements are separate of an upgrade project currently underway at Brookfield Power’s Oswego Falls West development, also on the Oswego river. The Oswego Falls West upgrade is part of Brookfield Power’s portfolio improvement plan (PIP) that proposes modifications/upgrades at 10 projects in New York and Pennsylvania, pending approval from the FERC.
Once complete, the Oswego Falls West plant will generate an additional 1MW of green power. This upgrade will increase the licensed project capacity to 7.36MW from its current 6.76MW, and will provide 3875MWh annually.
View of the Lighthouse Hill facility