Application for a new licence was submitted by Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD) No1. The new, 43-year licence follows expiration of the original term from 1957 to 2006, and Chelan PUD has been operating the facility under annual licences.
Rocky Reach is located on the mid-Columbia river basin and generates more than 6000GWh net of electricity per year.
Under the new licence the plant will have an installed capacity of almost 866MW, following the reset of the nominal figure by an amendment to FERC's annual charge regulations during the relicensing application process. In the original application, the installed capacity was put at 1237MW.
Conditions of the licence approval include environmental mitigation measures covering shoreline erosion, water quality, fisheries, and historic and cultural resources. The licence also provides for wildlife and recreation management plans.
Construction of the project began in 1956 after the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) identified the hydro power potential of the site in the early 1930s.
