IRON MOUNTAIN - WE Energies is currently moving forward with plans to replace its 100-year-old powerhouse at the Twin Falls Dam on the Menominee River.
If all goes as planned, WE Energies will submit applications for the project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin by September.
Rod Miller, local affairs account manager for WE Energies, said that if the applications are approved, construction on a new powerhouse on the Wisconsin side of the river could begin as soon as spring 2014. The new powerhouse would go into service in 2016, and the existing powerhouse, which is located on the Michigan side of the river, would be removed in 2017, he added.
According to Miller, WE Energies had considered placing the new powerhouse on the same site as the existing powerhouse or right alongside it. However, both of those options cost more than the third option of placing the new powerhouse on the Wisconsin side of the river.
Miller added that building on the Wisconsin side of the river would allow for continued powerhouse operations during the two-year construction period.
The new powerhouse would include several upgrades from the current six megawatt plant.
It would utilize two larger, slower turbines, as compared to the 10 high speed turbines that are currently in use. The larger, slower models are not only more efficient, but they are also safer for fish to pass through.
In addition, the new powerhouse would feature trash racks with a narrower separation between the bars. The narrow spacing would prevent larger fish from entering the turbine.
Miller pointed out that the dam itself will remain intact.
"The dam is in good condition - it's undergone several repairs since the 1960s," he said. "It's just the powerhouse and the equipment inside that's aged."
Nikki Younk's e-mail address is nyounk@ironmountaindailynews.com.
