The US State of Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AID&EA) has approved up to US$60M in bonds for the planned Lake Dorothy hydroelectric project, located 27km southeast of Juneau, Alaska.
The state’s oldest power utility, Alaska Electric Light & Power Company AEL&P, will own and operate the scheme, which will be the highest head hydro project in North America, with a lake elevation of 744m.
The project’s power house will be located at sea level, and it will generate 34.4MW of electrical power. Other features include more than 4572m of 3.7m diameter tunnel from the lake to the power plant, an underground penstock to resist the very high heads, and a power house and switchyard bench blasted into solid rock.
A unique feature of the project will be an underwater lake tap into the bottom of the lake beneath 73m of water.