West Virginia is taking a bold and progressive approach toward hydropower to help reduce our dependence on foreign energy supplies.
Glen Ferris
In June 2010, Brookfield Renewable Power started the rehabilitation of a hydropower project located in Glen Ferris on the Kanawha River. The company is investing $25 million to bring the plant, built in 1899, back into full production. The project includes the overhaul and modernization of the facility’s eight turbine units. When completed in 2012, the Glen Ferris hydropower project will generate more than 38,000 megawatt hours a year of renewable power for the West Virginia electricity market. That’s enough electricity for 4,500 households.
Hawks Nest
Brookfield also manages the 102-megawatt hydropower plant at Hawks Nest on the New River. The company has committed $50 million to a 20-year capital investment program for the plant.
New Martinsville
The New Martinsville Hydroelectric Plant continues to be a good source of renewable clean energy. The 36-megawatt Wetzel County unit produces enough power for a city seven times the size of New Martinsville, which has a population of 7,000. The plant has used the Ohio River to generate its power since 1988. The power is sold to Allegheny Energy for distribution to the nation's electric grid. The plant design uses the natural flow of the Ohio River to generate electricity.