The 889-MW Bull Run, also known as the Bull Run Steam Plant, has been operating since 1967 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. It was the only one-unit coal-fired facility ever built by the TVA.

Last year, the TVA decided to close both Bull Run and Paradise power plants. The closure announcements came on the recommendation of the utility’s environmental assessment committee and against the social media entity of President Trump.

At the time, then TVA CEO Bill Johnson said the closures were economic decisions, meant to save hundreds of millions of dollars in compliance and upgrade costs.

The TVA just released a Q&A about Bull Run Fossil Plant plans on its website in response to many questions and concerns raised over the decision process. Bull Run is scheduled to be retired by the end of 2023:

Here is the Q&A:

Will existing streams be re-routed to accommodate landfill expansions at Bull Run?

TVA has been working toward the permitting of a proposed new landfill to store coal combustion residuals on TVA property adjacent to the Bull Run site since 2013, when the first permit document was submitted to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).  While the TVA Board has decided to close the Bull Run Fossil plant in 2023, TVA must still be ready, if necessary, to store coal combustion residuals (CCR) produced before the closure and/or to store CCR that could be removed from the Bull Run site to the proposed new landfill pending the results of numerous environmental studies.  These studies are being conducted under the direction of TDEC.  To accommodate this possibility, TVA continues to seek the required permits to construct the new dry storage landfill.  If this new landfill is needed for CCR storage, TVA will need to reroute approximately 3,500 feet of a stream that runs through the area where the proposed new landfill will be constructed.  This will require TVA to obtain permits from TDEC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  TVA will not alter the stream until the entire permit process is complete, and the landfill is approved and permitted by TDEC.  TVA has not decided whether to build this landfill. 

Will the landfill change classification from the existing permits?

TVA’s existing permitted landfills at the Bull Run site are Class II landfills, and this classification will not change.  The proposed new CCR landfill, which requires a new solid waste permit, would also be a Class II landfill if constructed.  

Will out-of-county waste be deposited at the Bull Run site?

No, as discussed in the Environmental Impact Statement for this project, CCR sent to the proposed new landfill, if constructed, will be from the Bull Run site.  TVA will not bring CCR from any other sites to Bull Run.

Does a timeline exist for the step-down and future closure of the Bull Run facility? 

Bull Run will continue operating until 2023.  The decommissioning process will begin shortly after the retirement of the unit and will last approximately five to six years.  The decommissioning and restoration process will be subject to environmental review before TVA begins the process, and the public will have the opportunity to provide comments on the environmental review.

Will the facility be totally decommissioned, or will it be converted to another class-energy production facility?   

TVA is committed to working closely with economic development and community leaders and elected officials as we prepare for the future of the Bull Run site.  Future uses of the site, including other possible energy generation on site, have not been determined.    TVA will conduct necessary environmental reviews of the decommissioning and restoration options before beginning that process, and the public will have the opportunity to provide comments.     

The process by which TVA retires plants has generally been similar at each location after conducting the necessary environmental reviews.  Above-ground structures associated with the fossil fuel power generation have been removed, and below-grade basements, hoppers, or bunkers have been removed or filled with compacted material to ensure suitability for industrial reuse.  As an example, demolition and restoration of the John Sevier Fossil Plant site in Rogersville, Tennessee, has been successfully completed.  TVA also has active projects at Widows Creek (AL), Colbert (AL), and Johnsonville (TN) for full demolition and restoration of the sites to brownfield conditions. 

TVA’s Economic Development (ED) group plays a key role in the decommissioning process by providing expertise on future industrial development options.  This includes ensuring that key infrastructure attributes such as river, rail, roadway access, and power availability are preserved.  At the appropriate time, usually as the decommissioning process is nearing completion, the ED team will engage an outside consultant to conduct a study of the site to help determine what industries to target based on the site’s unique characteristics and infrastructure.

What plans are in place for the future of the current workforce?

The most challenging part of the decision to shut down Bull Run is knowing that people and communities will be impacted.  TVA is committed to working with employees to determine how best to support them.  For those employees who are interested in continuing employment with TVA, we have plans to re-deploy a significant portion of our workforce to support future needs at other site locations.  We completed a process recently in which we worked to align employee interests in other opportunities with vacancies and contractor displacements across TVA.  We also intend to offer a voluntary severance to those employees who are interested in leaving TVA at the time of the plant closure.  Lastly, we typically staff a transition team to work through decommissioning activities for an extended period after the unit shuts down.  A small number of employees will stay on to support that work.    

Will the building, smokestacks and transmission towers remain if the facility is totally abandoned?  

TVA will not abandon the Bull Run site.  As explained above (in response to question no. 2), the process by which TVA retires plants has generally been similar at each location after conducting the necessary environmental reviews.  This has involved removal of aboveground structures associated with the fossil fuel power generation and removal or filling with compacted material of below-grade basements, hoppers, or bunkers to ensure suitability for industrial reuse.  

Will the ash be relocated?  If so, what methods will be utilized to ensure the health of the workers and public while relocating the material to other suitable out-of-county locations?

TVA has not made any final decisions on the future of CCR stored at Bull Run.  We are in the early stages of an environmental investigation under the direction of TDEC, which will take time to complete. The results of those studies will help guide decisions on our CCR storage at Bull Run.  We will use science and public input, along with direction from TDEC, to help guide those decisions.  TVA will continue to work with TDEC, other regulators, and the public to determine what is in the best interest of all those we serve.

Safety is always TVA’s highest priority.  TVA will take every precaution necessary to keep workers safe during any CCR relocation or removal operations.  That includes following Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) worker safety guidelines, working with our regulators to determine the proper protective gear for our workers, and requiring and providing protective equipment when conditions warrant.  Workers with safety and health concerns are encouraged to report issues to their managers and can always engage OSHA at any time. 

TVA is also committed to the safety of the communities surrounding Bull Run.  Years of monitoring show the health of the river is not being negatively affected by CCR storage at Bull Run.  The quality of the public waters surrounding Bull Run supports the various uses for which TDEC has designated those waters, including for water supply, fish and aquatic life, recreation, livestock watering and wildlife, irrigation, and navigation.  The public drinking water system is monitored and tested by local utilities and their results show no impact from CCR and other operations at Bull Run.  We do not have indication that there are adverse impacts to offsite groundwater caused by CCR from Bull Run.  However, TVA is conducting additional investigations at Bull Run under the direction of TDEC.    If TVA determines that it must construct the proposed new landfill to handle CCR from Bull Run, TVA will work to limit exposure by the public to truck traffic and CCR as it is being removed and relocated.

If the ash remains, will it be encapsulated and safe for current and future generation? 

Yes, federal and state regulations provide standards for the safe closure of CCR impoundments and landfills, including standards for capping and closing in place.  TVA will follow these standards if closure in place is the chosen closure methodology for the CCR storage units.  Federal and state regulations also require post-closure monitoring and maintenance obligations for at least 30 years after the unit is closed.  These standards and obligations ensure that the closure is protective of public health and the environment.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that, if conducted properly, closure in place is protective of human health and the environment.  The post-closure monitoring system will alert TVA and the public to any issues that may warrant future corrective action.

Is the ash safe in its current state to area residents including drinking water and recreation activities and enthusiasts?

Every solution for CCR management includes long-term monitoring to ensure the continued safety of CCR storage.  TVA follows limits set by our state permits and guidelines set by the EPA for discharges into the river.  Those limits are designed to be protective of human health and the environment.  Years of monitoring show the health of the river is not being negatively affected by CCR storage at Bull Run.  Water quality surrounding Bull Run supports TDEC-designated uses for water supply, fish and aquatic life, recreation, livestock watering and wildlife, irrigation, and navigation.  The public drinking water system is monitored and tested by local utilities and their results show no impact from CCR and other operations at Bull Run.    

We have an existing network of groundwater monitoring wells around the CCR units at Bull Run, which show concentrations of some constituents greater than naturallyoccurring levels.  There are no known groundwater issues from these units beyond TVA site boundaries.  However, we will continue monitoring even after the plant closes, and we will work with TDEC to address any issues that we find in our investigation.

Can the ash be repurposed for other products on or off site?

TVA beneficially reuses about 40% of its CCR valley-wide.  There are many factors that determine whether CCR can be beneficially used in various consumer products such as concrete, wallboard, and shingles.  At present, the previously-ponded CCR at Bull Run does not meet the quality specifications necessary for efficient reuse.  As TVA is considering the long-term management of CCR at Bull Run, TVA will continue to look for opportunities to beneficially use CCR.   

If the site is abandoned can it be redeveloped or reindustrialized for other purposes?

TVA will not abandon the site or walk away from its commitments to the community.  TVA will work with local economic development groups and elected leaders to determine the best use of the site, including potential redevelopment.  During TVA’s decommissioning process, TVA’s ED group will ensure that key infrastructure attributes such as river, rail, roadway access, and power availability are preserved for future possible redevelopment options.  At the appropriate time, the ED team will engage an outside consultant to conduct a study to help determine what industries to target based on the site’s unique characteristics and infrastructure.

What techniques can be utilized to ensure the stability of the current dikes, ash ponds and impoundments?  

TVA evaluates the structural stability of its CCR units by using industry dam safety standards and criteria.  The CCR units at Bull Run have been drilled to obtain information on the strength of the impounding structures.  TVA has installed instrumentation in the drilled holes that measure water levels, slope movement and weather data.  These instruments are automated in the field for continuous monitoring through a Geographical Information System.  The combination of instrumentation readings, impoundment strength data, facility geometry and weather data is used to continuously evaluate the stability performance of each CCR unit in accordance with federal and state safety criteria. 

Will the decommissioned site remain in the hands of TVA or can ownership be transferred to other public or private entities?

TVA will not abandon the site or walk away from our commitments to the community.  TVA has the ability to convey property to public or private entities pending completion of necessary environmental reviews and in compliance with the requirements of the TVA Act for disposal of property.  TVA is committed to working with local leaders to determine the best future use of the site.   

What will the site look like in 2025?

In 2025, TVA will likely be in the midst of the decommissioning process, which is anticipated to take approximately five to six years after plant retirement.  We will also be in the implementation phase of any corrective actions determined to be necessary as a result of the current ongoing investigation of the site under the direction of TDEC.  Those potential corrective actions have not been determined at this time, as the investigation continues.  As we have at other sites, TVA will work with local economic development groups and elected leaders to determine the best use of the Bull Run site.  We are mindful of the community’s keen interest in the future of the site, but at this time, our focus remains on the safe and reliable operation of the plant until its retirement in 2023.  

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District Wolf Creek Dam Power Plant staff recently accomplished an extremely rare uplifting repair action to fix one of the plant’s power units.

The hydropower repair team at the 270-MW Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky removed a 230-ton rotor in mid-January to gain access to another damaged component. Only one member of the team had ever experienced being a part of the heavy lift.

The district’s Electrical Service Section and Power Plant staff discovered that one of the unit’s field poles had failed during a routine annual inspection.  To access the damaged field pole to send it off for repairs, the team removed the generator’s rotor from the unit housing utilizing the powerhouse crane designed to lift 250 tons.

Anthony Watters, Wolf Creek Power Plant superintendent said, “The decision for our staff to disassemble the unit… allowed our staff to exercise and demonstrate their skills and knowledge of the facility and generating unit.”

The repair action is notable because removing a generator’s rotor in a power plant is not something the staff gets to witness or perform every day. 

Tony Foster, senior electrician at Wolf Creek Dam, last had the chance to remove a rotor back in the 1980’s. With the latest rotor removal, Foster served as the crane operator and lifted the unit out of its encapsulating housing.  It marked only the second opportunity to lift a rotor in his long career with the Corps of Engineers.

The process to remove the unit housing, rotor itself, and removal of the damaged pole took nine days.  The team placed the heavy rotor on the specifically designed storage pedestal and now awaits the damaged field pole to be refurbished and installed.                      

“As the unit was disassembled and the rotor was pulled the pride shown on the faces of our staff was awesome,” said Watters.  “What an honor it is to have such an excellent team that is able to accomplish some of the nation’s most unbelievable engineering feats.”

Watters noted the discovery of the damaged field pole prevented future damage from occurring to the generator’s windings.  When a generator’s windings have to be rewound, it can be an extensive and costly process to complete from beginning to end.  Extracting the rotor cut the generator’s down time from producing electricity by several months.

Wolf Creek Dam helps control flooding in communities downstream, but also produces electricity for the surrounding Kentucky area.  The yearly electrical energy produced by the power plant’s generators is sufficient to serve 375,000 people.

Those temporary pump systems served the area for 12 years beginning in 2006, created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect against future storm surges. A new, permanent $714 million flood management solution was completed in May 2018, making the old power systems unnecessary there.

Houston-based industrial gen-set firm Depco Power Systems purchased 92 generators and engines from the dismantled project and is now finding uses for the equipment. Already, 14 C18 industrial power units have been sold to a pump manufacturer, while eight 3412 poewr units are being repurposed by other companies.

Hurricane Katrina ravaged the region when it hit in the summer of 2005, causing hundreds of deaths and $160 billion in long-term damage to property and equipment. Much of the city sits at or below sea level, and the complex system of levees, canals and pumps could not keep up when the surge rolled in with the historic storm.

The city had 148 drainage pumps ready for the job, but 80 percent of the city still flooded in Katrina’s aftermath.

The Corps of Engineers constructed “temporary” water pumps and flood gates in 2006 to protect Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes. Once the new, permanent system was in place last year, the Corps. Contractor M.R. Pittman Group LLC to decommission the 12-year-old flood prevention system.

Depco took the decommissioned parts to its Houston center for servicing and testing. The repurposed units can power oil rigs, other pumps and projects anywhere in the world, the company said.

–  – – – – – – – 

New Orleans will play host to the DistribuTECH conference exhibition Feb. 5-7, and also POWERGEN International in November 19-21. On-site power is a key content session at POWERGEN. The call for abstracts is now open and click here to find out more.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Puerto Rico’s power company said Thursday that it has restored electricity to more than 80 percent of customers affected by an island-wide blackout that was caused by an excavator hitting a transmission line, but tens of thousands of families still remain without normal service seven months after hurricanes Maria and Irma.

Officials said that power had been restored to more than 1.1 million of its clients following Wednesday’s blackout, and that they expected to restore power to the remaining 326,000 customers by noon. The outage marked the first time Puerto Rico was hit by an island-wide blackout since Hurricane Maria struck on Sept. 20 and wiped out as much as 75 percent of the power distribution lines.

The blackout snarled traffic, forced businesses and schools to close and sparked long lines at gas stations.

Prior to the blackout on the U.S. territory of 3.3 million people, more than 44,000 customers were still without normal electric service lost with Hurricane Maria. Some have been without power even longer, hit when Hurricane Irma brushed past Puerto Rico’s northeast coast as a Category 5 storm on Sept. 7, leaving 1 million customers without power, including university student Jonathan Rodriguez and his family.

“I knew we’d be without power for some time, but not this long,” the 22-year-old told The Associated Press by phone.

Rodriguez lives in the central mountain town of Corozal with two relatives, both of whom need electricity to survive. His grandmother depends on insulin and his aunt on equipment to prevent sleep apnea. Nearly every day after work, Rodriguez drives 20 minutes to the nearest gas station to buy fuel that keeps a donated generator running all day and night.

The main road near their house is already lit up, as are homes surrounding theirs, but they still don’t have power.

“They haven’t given us any information,” he said of power restoration crews. “All we’re missing is one post and a transformer.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is overseeing federal power restoration efforts, said it expects the entire island to be energized by late May, just weeks before the Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1. But many believe it will take longer, and a group of federal legislators has asked the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency to extend the Corps’ assignment past May 18 to ensure all Puerto Ricans are once again connected to the island’s fragile power grid.

The blackout comes as Puerto Rico legislators debate whether to private the island’s Electric Power Authority, which is $14 billion in debt and relies on infrastructure nearly three times older than the industry average.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – An island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday as the U.S. territory struggles to repair an increasingly unstable power grid nearly seven months after Hurricane Maria. Officials said an excavator accidentally downed a transmission line.

Officials said it could take 24 to 36 hours to fully restore power to more than 1.4 million customers as outrage grew across the island about the state of Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority. It is the second major outage in less than a week, with the previous one affecting some 840,000 customers.

“This is too much,” said Luis Oscar Rivera, a 42-year-old computer technician who just got normal power back at his house less than two months ago. “It’s like the first day of Maria all over again.”

Several large power outages have hit Puerto Rico in recent months, but Wednesday was the first time since the Category 4 storm struck on Sept. 20 that the U.S. territory has experienced a full island-wide blackout.  It snarled traffic across the island, interrupted classes and work and forced dozens of businesses to temporarily close, including the island’s largest mall and popular tourist attractions like a 16th-century fort in the historic part of Puerto Rico’s capital.

Backup generators roared to life at the island’s largest public hospital and at its main international airport, where officials reported no cancellations or delays. Meanwhile, the power company said its own customer service center was out of service and asked people to go online or use the phone.

Officials said restoring power to hospitals, airports, banking centers and water pumping systems was their priority. Following that would be businesses and then homes.

Carmen Yulin Cruz, mayor of the capital of San Juan, said the outage would not interrupt the last of a two-game series between the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins, which is being played on the island. She said all emergency systems at Hiram Bithorn stadium are functioning and that tower lights and additional security will be placed at the stadium’s parking lot.

Justo Gonzalez, the power company’s executive sub-director, said a private contractor removing a collapsed tower during unrelated power restoration efforts hit the transmission line on Wednesday with an excavator.

It is the second such incident in less than a week. On Thursday, a tree fell on a power line as crews were clearing land in central Puerto Rico, leading to a widespread power outage. A backup line that was supposed to prevent that outage failed.

Fredyson Martinez, vice president of a union that represents power company workers in Puerto Rico, told The Associated Press that he was concerned about the two back-to-back incidents.

“That is not normal,” he said.

Angel Figueroa, president of the same union, told reporters workers are investigating why a backup breaker at a main power station in the island’s southern region did not function when the outage occurred, causing the entire electrical grid to shut down to protect itself. He noted it was the same problem that caused a 2016 power outage that affected the entire island.

Rivera said he worries that such serious power outages are still occurring as the new Atlantic hurricane season, which starts on June 1, approaches.

“If there’s a slight storm, we’re going to be worse off than we are right now,” he said.

Federal officials who testified before Congress last week said they expect to have a plan by June on how to strengthen and stabilize the island’s power grid, noting that up to 75 percent of distribution lines were damaged by high winds and flooding. Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is overseeing the federal power restoration efforts, said they hope to have the entire island fully energized by May. Some 40,000 power customers still remain without normal electrical service as a result of the hurricane.

The new blackout occurred as Puerto Rico legislators debate a bill that would privatize the island’s power company, which is $14 billion in debt and relies on infrastructure nearly three times older than the industry average.

Fluor Corporation said its crews supporting the mission in Puerto Rico of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have helped to restore power to more than 232,000 customers throughout the island since arriving in October.

“Our crews continue to show tremendous progress in the field,” said Matt Hunt, Fluor’s executive program director, Puerto Rico Power Restoration Project. “Their success in restoring power is driven by their hard work combined with the support of the USACE, PREPA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This mission is very close to our hearts, and we thank the Puerto Rican people for their patience and kind gestures as we work in neighborhoods. We want communities to know that we are committed to restoring power and we will keep working hard until our job is complete.”

To show appreciation for the communities in which they are living and working, Fluor employees and subcontracted crews have held two events — in the municipalities of Morovis and Hatillo — serving food, and providing milk, juice and water to more than 800 residents.

“We understand the urgency of the situation and how difficult the last few months have been for so many families,” said Danny Oppenheimer, operations manager of Fluor’s Life Sciences and Advanced Manufacturing business line in Puerto Rico. “Fluor is fully committed to restoring power for the people of Puerto Rico.”

Fluor has a unique combination of government contingency operations, commercial power experience and a 54-year presence in the Commonwealth. The company provides design, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning services to Puerto Rican clients in a broad range of high employment industries including power, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, aerospace, manufacturing and food and beverage. This expertise will enable ongoing efforts to help sustain economic recovery on the island.

CONCORD, New Hampshire– State regulators unanimously rejected an application for a hydropower project that would have provided clean energy to Massachusetts but was seen as an eyesore by critics who feared it would tarnish scenic views and damage New Hampshire’s tourism industry.

The Site Evaluation Committee voted 7-0 against the project over concerns about its impact on local business, tourism and development in the region, especially in the northern part of the state. The decision, which can be appealed, is a stunning setback for a project that first was proposed in 2010 and, after countless hearings and protests, appeared to be a done deal.

The $1.6 billion plan was set to bring hydropower from Canada by creating a transmission line through New Hampshire for customers in southern New England. The surprising decision comes a week after the project was selected from among dozens of bids to supply renewable energy in Massachusetts. It would have transmitted enough hydropower for about a million homes.

“We’re pleased, to say the least,” said Jane Difley, president of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. “This stands as a great victory for New Hampshire, our forests, and our landscape. It’s been a long, arduous battle, but New Hampshire has always been worth it.”

The utility behind the project, Eversource, said it was “shocked and outraged” by the decision, saying the ruling “failed to comply with New Hampshire law and did not reflect the substantial evidence on the record.”

“As a result, the most viable near-term solution to the region’s energy challenges, as well as $3 billion of NH job, tax, and other benefits, are now in jeopardy,” the company said in a statement. “Clearly, the SEC process is broken and this decision sends a chilling message to any energy project contemplating development in the Granite State.”

The company said it would consider an appeal as well as “reviewing all options for moving this critical clean energy project forward.”

The Massachusetts attorney general’s office said the decision raises concerns about the state’s ability to begin receiving Canadian hydropower by 2020.

“At a minimum, it appears today’s development requires re-evaluation of the selection of Northern Pass. The Attorney General’s Office remains committed to an open and transparent review and we will be following this closely,” said Chloe Gotsis, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Maura Healey.

The company that would have provided the power, Hydro-Quebec, said it was analyzing the decision. Several other bids to supply renewable energy to Massachusetts were counting on getting hydro, wind or a combination from the company.

Supporters including unions and Republican Gov. Chris Sununu have long argued the project will create jobs, bring development to the northern part of the state and reduce the price of energy.

“Frankly stunned and disappointed by both the timing and outcome of today’s decisions from the Site Evaluation Committee,” Sununu said in a statement. “To deny 1100MW of clean, renewable energy and more than 1,000 jobs for New Hampshire is a mistake.”

Opponents led by scores of small town officials, property owners and environmentalists said they worried that the transmission line towers – some as high as 155 feet – would destroy scenic views, reduce property values and hurt tourism in a part of the state that includes the White Mountain National Forest. They also argued the project offers few benefits to New Hampshire, since much of the power is slated to go to customers in Massachusetts.

Many have said they would support the project if all of the transmission lines were buried. The company amended its proposal in 2015 to include the burial of 60 miles of the line mostly around the White Mountain National Forest. It argued that burying the lines entirely would raise the cost by $1 billion, making the project economically impractical.

Alex Ray, who lives in the town of Holderness near where the transmission line would be built and runs the Common Man Family of Restaurants in New Hampshire, said the vote shows that residents in the northern part of the state were finally being heard.

“I’m elated,” Ray said. “First of all, everything has an impact. This one would have had a very long-term, negative impact on the values, the serenity of North Country residents. There are better ways to do this and apparently the powers to be – Eversource and Hydro-Quebec – couldn’t find a way to do it in a way that was accommodating to concerned citizens.”

The company already was talking confidently earlier this week of starting construction in April after getting its approval and finishing the project by 2020.

The project had formal contracts with suppliers, a labor agreement with construction managers and unions and had spent significant sums of money on community development projects to win support.

It’s also been granted permits by the Energy Department and the U.S. Forest Service and has the support of Massachusetts energy officials. It still needed a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit related to its impact on wetlands and the power supplier, Hydro-Quebec, needs project approval from the national electric board in Canada.

Work awarded to Fluor by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers includes power grid restoration, repair and replacement of structures and equipment supporting the re-energization and recommissioning of electrical infrastructure in the eastern part of Puerto Rico.

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been assigned, under a Federal Emergency Management Agency mission, to help the Government of Puerto Rico bring electricity back to the people in the Commonwealth,” said Steve Whitcomb, head of Fluor’s Contingency Operations business. “Given Fluor’s long history in Puerto Rico, this mission is very close to our hearts.”

Within 48 hours of receiving the contract, Fluor assessment and logistics personnel were operational in San Juan, where the company has had offices and employees for more than 50 years. Fluor is working with more than a dozen local subcontractors, employs more than 600 project personnel, has over 50 crews assigned and has more than 500 pieces of equipment on the ground or in transit in support of the effort with additional personnel, equipment and material mobilized and deploying to the island.

“We are working across a number of fronts,” said Matt Hunt, Fluor’s executive program director, Puerto Rico Power Restoration project. “We have crews working power line segments in both isolated and urban areas. Our crew mix includes two of Puerto Rico’s largest electrical contractors in addition to two major national electrical contractors. Additionally, we have hired a local earth works firm that is performing the critical task of clearing debris and other obstructions. They are also cutting access paths through the mountains so we can get to damaged lines and substations in remote areas. It’s a huge undertaking and one we are proud to be part of because we are working to help bring back a sense of normalcy to the people of Puerto Rico.”

Fluor combines government contingency operations, commercial power experience and a 54-year presence in the Commonwealth. The company provides design, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning services to Puerto Rican clients in a broad range of high employment industries, including power, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, aerospace, manufacturing and food and beverage. 

WASHINGTON  – The Republican-controlled House has approved a bill aimed at expanding hydroelectric power, an action supporters said would boost a clean source of renewable energy but opponents denounced as a giveaway to large power companies.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state, would define hydropower as a renewable energy source and streamline the way projects are licensed, with primary authority granted to a single federal agency. Lawmakers approved the bill Wednesday, 257-166.

Power from rivers and streams makes up nearly 70 percent of electricity generated in Washington state and accounts for more than 50 percent of power in Oregon and Idaho and 36 percent in Montana. But hydropower only accounts for 7 percent of electricity nationwide.

McMorris Rodgers, the fourth-highest ranking Republican, said that figure could be doubled without constructing a single dam. While it takes an average of 18 months to license a new natural gas plant, it can take up to 10 years or longer to license a new dam or relicense an existing dam, she and other Republicans said.

Only 3 percent of the nation’s 80,000 dams now produce electricity. Electrifying some of the larger sites – primarily locks and dams on the Ohio, Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas Rivers that are operated by the Army Corps of Engineers – would generate electricity for millions of homes and create thousands of jobs, an Energy Department report said.

The bill would make the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the lead agency on hydropower licensing and require states, tribes and other federal agencies to defer to the commission.

The GOP bill would lower electricity costs and help the nation follow the Northwest in providing “reliable, clean and affordable energy for generations to come,” McMorris Rodgers said.

Opponents said the bill turns over public waterways to industry at the expense of fishermen, boaters and Native American tribes.

“This bill is an industry wish list and it’s facing major opposition by states, tribes, conservation and recreation groups,” said Amy Kober, a spokeswoman for American Rivers, an environmental group. The legislation weakens protections for clean water and wildlife and strips states and tribes of their authority to ensure crucial environmental safeguards, Kober said.

“We’ve made progress when it comes to balancing hydro production and river health, but this bill would take us backward, giving big energy companies all the power at the expense of local communities,” she said.

Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., said a major cause for licensing delays was due to incomplete applications submitted by power companies rather than bureaucratic bungling, as Republicans charge.

“We cannot allow hydropower facilities to claim a monopoly over our public waterways without mitigating the negative impacts of these facilities … and without complying with modern environmental laws,” Rush said.

But LeRoy Coleman, a spokesman for the National Hydropower Association, said the bill “would not have the unintended effect of rolling back environmental protections.” He noted it preserves the current environmental regulatory authorities of state and federal agencies.

The bill now goes to the Senate.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Officials in the U.S. and Puerto Rico gave differing views Thursday on when power will be fully restored to the U.S. territory after Hurricane Maria hit as a Category 4 storm more than a month ago.

Ricardo Ramos, director of the state-owned power company, said the utility has restored 35 percent of the electrical system’s regular output and expects to reach 50 percent by mid-November and 95 percent by mid-December. But Ray Alexander, director of contingency operations at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the corps’ goal is to have 50 percent restored by the end of November and 75 percent by the end of January.

“We are focused on executing the mission we’ve been assigned,” Alexander said at a hearing in Washington, adding that the agency has been working with the U.S. Department of Energy to help develop a more resilient electrical grid for Puerto Rico.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello criticized the Army Corps of Engineers earlier this week for what he said was a lack of urgency in responding to Puerto Rico’s island-wide blackout.

The discrepancy came as President Donald Trump cleared the way for additional federal funding for Puerto Rico by amending a September disaster declaration to increase the share of rebuilding and recovery costs borne by the U.S. government.

Trump had already authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay 100 percent of some cleanup and emergency costs for 180 days. Washington will now pay 90 percent of the additional cost of rebuilding Puerto Rico, including repair of public infrastructure like hospitals, bridges and roads and restoration of the island’s devastated power grid.

Typically, U.S. states cover 25 percent of those costs, with federal taxpayers covering 75 percent. Puerto Rico’s finances were in shambles even before the storm made landfall in September.

A large swath of the island still has no electricity, and complaints are widespread among business owners who say losses are mounting and from parents who say their children need to start school. Nearly 20 percent of the island remains without water since Maria hit Sept. 20 with winds of up to 154 mph, killing at least 55 people. Tens of thousands have lost their jobs and some say more than 470,000 people could leave the island in upcoming years.

“If we don’t re-establish power and other basic services, the damage to our economy will be even greater,” said Puerto Rico’s public affairs secretary, Ramon Rosario. “We cannot allow that, and we have established clear goals.”

The difference in estimates came two days after the state-owned utility canceled a heavily scrutinized $300 million contract awarded to Whitefish Energy Holdings. The Montana-based company is located in the hometown of U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and had only two-full time employees before the storm hit. Crews subcontracted by Whitefish will finish their projects before Nov. 30, officials said.

Ramos continued to praise Whitefish despite local and federal audits of the contract. “They’ve performed very well,” he said.

Ramos said he is recommending that Oklahoma-based Cobra Acquisitions, which has a $200 million contract with the government, subcontract the workers Whitefish had employed if the contract allows for it. Ramos also said Cobra’s contract is “practically” the same as the one awarded to Whitefish.

He said the power company sent letters requesting help and received responses from the American Public Power Association and Edison Electric Institute. In addition, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that his state’s power authority would send 350 workers and 220 bucket trucks next week along with special equipment. It also is sending a tactical power restoration team that includes 28 engineers and 15 damage assessment experts.

The Army Corps of Engineers said it also expects about 2,100 workers to arrive by mid-November to help restore power.