WV dams tapped for potential hydropower

West Virginia dams tapped as potential hydropower project

An Ohio company wants to know if it makes economic sense to convert three West Virginia flood-control dams into hydroelectric generating stations.

With the demand for cleaner forms of energy, retrofitting the nation's dams is becoming a viable alternative, said David Sinclair, president of Advanced Hydro Solutions.

The company looks for "dams that are economically viable for conversion."

It has preliminary permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Tygart, R.D. Bailey and Jennings Randolph dams.

Hydroelectric plants use the water's flow to turn turbines that create power. Most hydro projects are built on locks and dams, said Jeffery Benedict, a civil engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Pittsburgh office.

"There's not as much interest in the reservoirs as the locks and dams, still, we have three projects in the permit stage, and that's including Tygart," Benedict said. The corps is open to seeing the dam converted to hydropower, he said.

A corps permit gives the Fairlawn, Ohio, company up to three years to determine if it's feasible to convert a dam. The company would still need to obtain a FERC license.

According to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, there are 13 FERC licensed hydro projects in West Virginia or along the Ohio River.

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