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Follow the power lines to TFH's powerhouse located on the Turners Falls Canal The principals of SRC and Hobbs Contracting acquireed the 950 KW vertical Francis turbine-generators set (pictured below) that IPC operated at Turners Falls on the Connecticut River. The dewatered intake of the Northeast Generation Services (former WMECO) canal can be seen below leading directly into the heated trashrack building. The project has a FERC license and has generated electricity for 85 years. The site has been operated by hydropower since 1873 when the original paper mill was powered by mechanical water wheels driving the grinders, pumps and paper machines.
Powerhouse intake at the edge of the drained canal and 950 KW generator inside This powerhouse was built in 1916, when the Keith Paper Company retired its three mechanical turbines that had operated since 1873 by drawing water from the Turners Falls Canal. The hydro turbines were turned line shafts that powered paper machinery. After 1918, mechanical power was replaced by electric motors and steam driven equipment. The powerhouse shown above was built to house both a 950 KW GE hydro turbine/generator and a 850 KW stream turbine/generator set, both used for power generate. The intake and trashracks accommodate 289 cfs that is conducted by a 8.5 foot diameter penstock to the vertical Francis turbine with a net head of 42 feet. The design flow of the canal is 16,000 cfs. So, TFH has 97% availability, only shutting down for annual maintenance when the NGS drains the canal for 6 days each July.
Turners Falls canal from hydro intake towards the NGS dam on the Connecticut River TFH continues a Water Exchange Agreement (WEA) with NGS where its 289 cfs flow is stored for daily peaking at a greater head by Cabot Station at the end of the canal. NGS pays TFH not to generate with its 289 cfs flow whenever the canal flow is less than 16,000 cfs. This only occurs for about 6 weeks each spring and in a few unusual flow fall events when the Connecticut River is in flood from tropical storm events. However, NGS only pays the ISO market clearing rate cutting the previous retail value of the energy paid by WMECO by more than half.
Turners Falls canal from intake to the dam emptied for annual shutdown TFH is a unique hydro facility because the water rights it purchased in 1873 allow for continuous use of 289 cfs flow, regardless of the season of the year. This results in a perfectly rectangular flow duration curve. See the simulation of monthly output on the Projects page. However, there are strong environmental benefits from not operating the facility during the up and downstream migration of the Atlantic salmon and shad runs on the Connecticut River because the intake flow and tailrace discharge could attract fish and stall migration. Termination of the WEA would deprive NGS of flow that can be stored for daily peaking and return the plant to run-of-the-river status. Therefore, the decision to terminate or continue the WEA has financial, operational and environmental impacts that must be evaluated. An estimate of the monthly output of the 2 new hydro projects (Turners Falls and Woronoco) can be found on the Energy Sales page. Thus, TFH may be looking for a customer to purchase its power under a long-term contract at prices higher than recent ISO market clearing rates. Either the WEA will terminate and the plant will once again use its 289 cfs all 360 days of the year, or NGS will pay TFH a higher price for the use of its water rights. Until NGC bought the Cabot Station from WMECO, IPC was swapping its water rights for kWh valued at the retail value of the electricity it did not generated, plus a credit for the higher head at Cabot Station. In addition, if TFH is generating all year long, TFH will sell "green energy certificates" as "old hydro" in Massachusetts or to Connecticut or Maine for their Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). In any case, TFH is certain that its green power is worth more than the average ISO rate paid monthly for dump power. |
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