Hydro-Power Still Possible for Lock and Dam 18

A hydro-power installation on the dam in Quincy was once a possibility, but was voted down by their city council.

Now it may be a possibility for Burlington’s Lock and Dam 18. Burlington’s Renewable Energy Committee met today and discussed where the city is with the potential project. Board Chairman Jerry Parks, says what the city needs to do now is obtain a license…

“So we have this three year period to apply for a license to do a project at Lock and Dam 18. One stumbling block is the price. It’s going to be somewhere in the 80-millions. That was the last estimate we had. Obviously the city of Burlington doesn’t have that money to spend. The development company Coastal  thinks they can secure all the financing needed, that’s what they indicated last time. So we hope for an ongoing discussion that may end with Burlington applying for a license and starting a project.”

If ever completed, there would be 24 turbines on the dam, each one producing 500 kilowatts- that’s 12 megawatts total of electricity.

Tags: