Regulations & policy | Multi-faceted challenges


As the US hydro industry addresses the licensing process and the impact of drought on hydropower production, South Africa tightens up its tailings dam policy, while English politicians lead a drive towards more reservoirs


Above: Western US hydropower. The US has been urged to utilise the positive attributes of hydropower


ADDRESSING THE ‘MULTI-FACETED challenges of our times’ will require utilising the benefits that low impact US hydropower can provide, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commissioner Ralph Yanora said at the summer meeting of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC). At the recent gathering which was held in Texas, a


new resolution was passed to support the integration of hydropower as a part of the development, expansion and maintenance of water, wastewater, and stormwater facilities.


Described as adding momentum to the recognition that the US should utilise the positive attributes of hydropower which have been “hiding in plain sight”, the NARUC Resolution provides a path forward for state regulatory commissions, all water entities and affected stakeholders, to engage in dialogue about how retrofitting conduits for hydropower may be in the public interest as a normalised part of utility operations. In addition, the resolution is viewed as being a vehicle to initiate efforts and ensure that regulated utilities have the required tools to achieve the resiliency, environmental and cost efficiency goals that hydropower retrofitted conduits can provide. As Commissioner Yanora added, low-impact


hydropower has another attribute which regulators should not overlook. “While the adoption of low-impact hydropower will undoubtedly serve environmental goals,” he said, “another attribute is that it is a utility investment that advances American prosperity.” Describing hydropower as a reliable and well- understood generation technology, Yanora added that


42 | October 2023 | www.waterpowermagazine.com


its expansion and utilisation “do not depend on the whims of global politics”. “It is a long-lived, domestically sourced and manufactured intermediate good that can contribute to the expansion of our industrial base, and thus, our long-term national security,” he continued. “It also provides considerable economic externalities – those multiplier effects that extend economic benefit both upstream to suppliers and workers and downstream to the users of the clean low-cost power it generates.” Commissioner Yanora, along with the National


Hydropower Association and its members, are currently working to engage with US hydro industry and legislators to build on the goals of the resolution. Consideration also needs to be given to how retrofitting conduits for hydropower could be included in any customer-generator net metering programmes, renewable energy credit markets, and the fair treatment of costs related to the design, construction, and operation of this utility infrastructure. Good examples of retrofitted conduits and how


hydropower can be integrated into treatment plant operations can be found in Pennsylvania, where the Pennsylvania American Water Company’s Nesbitt water treatment plant uses hydropower to cover 75% of plant electric costs. In addition, the US Department of Energy and other federal agencies that oversee fund distribution are being urged to provide states with maximum flexibility to support the integration of hydropower, in order to achieve positive effects on water and energy prices, infrastructure, and associated environmental and public benefits.


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