Water Power Magazine – Ameresco, Juneau Hydropower to build $240 million hydroelectric facility in Alaska

Ameresco, Inc. has announced a $240 million partnership with Juneau Hydropower, Inc. to develop, construct, and operate a 19.8MW hydroelectric facility at Sweetheart Lake, about 33 miles south of downtown Juneau, Alaska. The project also includes transmission and distribution infrastructure.

The Sweetheart Lake Hydroelectric Facility is expected to produce an average of 116,000MWh of electricity annually, boosting Juneau’s clean hydropower capacity by 20%. The scope includes a battery energy storage system, more than 40 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, eight miles of undersea cable across Gilbert Bay, and an interconnection with the Snettisham Transmission line.

The utility will connect remote communities that currently rely on diesel generation, and is designed to improve grid resilience in an area prone to extreme weather. Ameresco said the project could increase statewide energy transmission by 3%.

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