FERC gives Duke Energy new 30-year operating license for Keowee-Toxaway Hydroelectric Project

Duke Energy recently received a new 30-year operating license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for its Keowee-Toxaway Hydroelectric Project, which operates in North Carolina and South Carolina and provides 868 megawatts of hydropower generation.

 

"The project provides clean, renewable hydroelectric power generation, supports regional public drinking water needs and provides high-quality recreational opportunities for the region," Duke Energy VP of Water Strategy, Hydro Licensing and Lake Services Steve Jester said. "This license ensures the availability of these resources for future generations."

The new license encompasses operations in Lake Jocassee, where the project begins, and Lake Keowee, from which it continues to the Army Corps of Engineers’ Lake Hartwell Project. These operations take place at the Jocassee Pumped Storage Hydro Station and the Keowee Hydro Station, as well as associated lakes. The project spans 25 river miles and 480 miles of shoreline, and provides cooling water for Oconee Nuclear Station, which can produce roughly 2,500 megawatts of power.

The initial license, issued in 1966, covered a 50-year period.

"Receiving the license allows us to implement operational, environmental and recreational resource enhancements that will result in many benefits to the community and the environment for decades to come," Jester said.