Symbiotics received a preliminary permit for the project from FERC in late December. It is developing the project through North Eden Hydro LLC, which has submitted a notification of intent (NoI) and pre-application document (PAD).
The preliminary permit covers studies for a potential pumped storage project in North Eden Canyon off Bear Lake in Rich County, Utah, close to the border with Idaho. Work on the PAD began in the third quarter of 2007.
It is envisaged that the project will have two dams and reservoirs plus a surface powerhouse fitted with seven 100MW pump turbines, a surface penstock and tailrace tunnel. The developer aims to produce approximately 2027GWh annually from the plant.
Company spokesman Justin Barker told IWP&DC that a conservative development budget of approximately US$700M has been set for the project, which it is hoped will become operational around 2011-12. He said the timing was related to the construction of the Gateway West transmission link to which the project would connect.
Symbiotics’ earlier attempt to develop a hydropower project at Bear Lake – in Hook Canyon – was a 1120MW scheme covering territory over Utah and Idaho but was dropped due to opposition.
The company was established eight years ago as a joint venture between Ecosystems Research Institute and Northwest Power Services. It is also working on a number of run-of-river projects, and consulting on others, such as two plants for AES, added the spokesman.
