Factor This – $240M Alaskan hydro project planned to help bolster underserved areas

Ameresco, an energy solutions provider, announced its partnership with Juneau Hydropower, Inc., a recently licensed utility to develop, construct, and operate a 19.8 megawatt (MW) hydroelectric facility at Sweetheart Lake, 33 miles south of downtown Juneau, and its transmission and distribution assets.

The Sweetheart Lake Hydroelectric Facility is designed to generate an average of 116,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) annually, providing a 20% increase in baseload clean hydropower over Juneau’s current electrical generation. The project scope also covers the installation of a battery energy storage system (BESS), over 40 miles of high-voltage transmission infrastructure, including eight miles of undersea cable that will cross Gilbert Bay, and an interconnection substation with the existing Snettisham Transmission line, adding energy security to Alaska’s capital city.

This utility will connect underserved, remote areas that have previously relied solely on diesel generation to a renewable energy source. The area has a history of extreme weather events, including a 2008 avalanche that resulted in power outages that lasted as long as two months. The project is anticipated to increase overall energy transmission in the state by 3%.

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