Cape Horn Dam. Photo: PG&E

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After years of planning and negotiations, Pacific Gas & Electric Company is moving ahead with plans to demolish two century-old dams on the upper Eel River as a part of its decommissioning of the Potter Valley Project. On July 25, PG&E filed its Surrender Application and Decommissioning Plan with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), kicking off an extensive public review process.

PG&E will discuss next steps for dam removal at a virtual town hall meeting today from 3 to 5 p.m. Officials will provide an overview of the decommissioning plan and the regulatory process, which will include several opportunities for public participation. 

The utility has been looking to rid itself of the aging Potter Valley Project — a two-dam hydropower system that diverts water out of the Eel River into the headwaters of the Russian River for municipal and agricultural use in Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma and northern Marin counties — since it was deemed “uneconomical” in 2018. The powerhouse stopped generating power in 2021, and the project license expired in 2022

The massive 2,324-page decommissioning plan includes a request to allow the Eel-Russian Project Authority (ERPA) to take over the diversion tunnel and construct the New Eel-Russian Facility (NERF), a modern water diversion facility that will be built at the Cape Horn Dam site to ensure the continued transfer of flows to the Russian River.

“The close coordination between PG&E and ERPA is critical to ensure the construction of the NERF will not delay the decommissioning of the Potter Valley Project and will allow for a smooth transition to ERPA operations,” according to a previous press release from PG&E. “The timing will follow the FERC process for approval.”

There’s no telling how long that approval will take. Some time after its initial review, FERC will announce a 30-day public comment period.

In the meantime, those interested in next steps should check out today’s virtual town hall, which will begin at 3 p.m. Click here for the meeting link.

Check the Outpost tomorrow for coverage of the meeting.

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