Alabama Power abandons planned hydroelectric facility on Chandler Mountain
Alabama Power Co. has dropped its plans for a pumped storage hydroelectric generating facility on Chandler Mountain.
The utility made the announcement Thursday in a news release, ending a project that had drawn protests from area residents and environmental groups.
It came 48 hours after two members of the state Public Service Commission, President Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh and Chip Beeker, released statements indicating they would oppose the plan.
Alabama Power said it was withdrawing its notice of intent with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission “after careful consideration.”
The planned 1,600-megawatt hydro facility would have been located on Little Canoe Creek East, which runs through both Etowah and St. Clair counties, near the town of Steele.
Alabama Power had said it would include an upper dam, with a 526-acre upper reservoir and intake structure; an underground power house with four reversible pump turbines; four lower dam sections with a discharge at one that would create a lower reservoir covering roughly 1,090 acres; a supplemental water source conveyance structure stretching about 6 miles; and other structures and facilities linked to power transmission.
Opponents had contended that the clearing of forested land on Chandler Mountain for the reservoirs would impact wildlife habitats; that both water quality for adjacent residents and aquatic habitats downstream would be threatened by erosion and sediment from the construction; and that residents might be driven from their homes as Alabama Power sought property for the project.
The utility wouldn’t indicate any specific land needs, given that the project was only in the design and planning stage. It had pledged to keep “stakeholders” informed during the FERC licensing process, which could have taken five to 10 years.
“Our guiding purpose is to provide clean, safe, reliable and affordable power to the 1.5 million people and businesses that depend on us,” Alabama Power said in its statement Thursday. “As we look to the future, we recognize that alternative resources as well as energy storage options will be key in meeting the ever-changing needs of our customers.
“Alabama Power will continue to explore all available technologies with due diligence, striving to power a better Alabama in ways that align with the evolving needs and expectations of our customers," it said. “We appreciate the feedback received by all parties involved with the exploration of the Chandler Mountain project.”
Cavanaugh criticized the project as “an inefficient method for producing the type of energy required to power a 21st century economy,” noting that it would involve pumping water uphill from one reservoir to another, which involves energy, then releasing that same water downhill to spin turbines, producing energy.
She also criticized the length of time it would take and the diversion of resources that could be better utilized elsewhere.
Cavanaugh called it “just another unworkable solution being endorsed by out-of-state liberals trying to hijack our energy policy."
Beeker said the project “is not in the best interest of the citizens of that area,” and also cited the length it would take and the “enormous cost.”
He said he’d voiced his concerns to Alabama Power officials, adding, “We need to be seeking alternative solutions that meet the needs of Alabamians today.”
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Alabama Power drops plan for plant on Chandler Mountain
