Opportunities/Challenges for Maintaining Existing Hydropower Capacity/Expanding Hydropower at Non-Powered Dams/Increasing Pumped Storage Hydropower: U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources Hearing

The United States Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources held a January 11th hearing titled:

The Opportunities and Challenges for Maintaining Existing Hydropower Capacity, Expanding Hydropower at Non-Powered Dams, and Increasing Pumped Storage Hydropower (“Hearing”)

The Full Committee Hearing focuses included:

• Examination of the opportunities and challenges for maintaining existing hydropower capacity
• Expanding hydropower at non-powered dams
• Increasing pumped storage hydropower

Witnesses testifying at the Hearing included:

Ms. Garson addressed:

• Hydropower and its role in the electricity sector
• Department of Energy and the hydropower RDD&D portfolio
• Department of Energy support for licensing and relicensing hydropower
• Hydropower research and grid flexibility
• Expanding Hydropower through non-powered dams
• Expanding pumped storage in the United States
• Hydropower and remote communities

Ms. Touton:

• Addresses on-going efforts to protect existing federal hydropower investment
• Provides an overview of on-going efforts to promote new hydropower development
• Discusses challenges the Bureau of Reclamation faces because of drought, reduced runoff conditions, and low reservoir elevations
• States the Bureau of Reclamation will continue to review/assess potential new hydropower projects that provide high economic return, are energy efficient and protect fish and wildlife, the environment or recreation

Mr. Corwin discusses:

• Overview and hydropower’s role in the West
• Challenges to hydropower such as:

• Incentives for hydropower: leveling the playing field
• Grid resilience, flexibility, and proper valuation of hydropower in markets
• Challenges in permitting and next steps
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should allow operating flexibility to meet critical needs
• Data-driven collaboration to maintain hydropower capacity
• Dam safety regulation

Mr. Woolf suggested the following for the Senate’s consideration:

• Hydropower is an essential part of a clean, reliable, and affordable 21st Century grid
• The baseload renewable electricity provided by the existing U.S. hydropower fleet is at risk
• Stanford’s “Uncommon Dialogue” process has created a historic new opportunity for bipartisanship
• Building upon the recent Bipartisan Infrastructure package, Congress should advance the 3Rs by enacting S.2306, the Maintaining and Enhancing Hydropower and River Restoration Act and S.2356, the  1st Century Dam bill
• Congress needs to address the lack of certainty involved in the hydropower license and relicensing process
• Congress Should Promote New Renewable Generation at Existing Nonpowered Dams, and Support DOE’s Water Power Technology Office (WPTO), as well as Investments to Maintain and Expand the Existing Federal Hydropower Fleet

A link to the list of witnesses and their prepared statements can be downloaded here.