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McCalman: “One of the most efficient ways that we've seen for developing Lease of Power Privilege at a Reclamation facility,
is for its irrigation and power customers to work together."
Mike Berry: “We had virtually no problems going through our Lease of Power Privilege.”
Mike Applegate: “We found the process to be very straight forward.”
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Brad Rowan Narrator: In its continuing history of hydropower production, the Bureau of Reclamation
is helping build our country's energy legacy.
Partnership with private industry is key to this endeavor.
McCalman: “We believe that partnership among our stakeholders is the most effective way to develop this small and micro hydropower.”
Narrator: The Lease of Power Privilege or the "LOPP" program, is one way to achieve this.
Pulskamp: “Lease of Power Privilege is a process that Reclamation has for non-federal hydropower development
on existing Reclamation facilities
Pulskamp - “Through the Lease of Power Privilege, there are numerous Reclamation sites that can be utilized to develop small hydropower
and getting this green, renewable, clean, energy source on the grid is very important.”
Narrator: What makes LOPP possible is a streamlined process for application and permit.
Pulskamp - “Anyone can apply for Lease of Power Privilege, but preference is granted to our stakeholders and other municipal entities.”
Pulskamp - “A Lease of Power Privilege contract can last up to 40 years, and generally they do go that far.”
Narrator: Through legislation, with the Commissioner's guidance, and in collaboration with stakeholders,
the Directives and Standards were created.
McCalman: “A directive and standard is what Reclamation uses
to explain to its and employees and external stakeholders how we’re going to do business.
In this case the directive and standard on Lease of Power Privilege will explain the procedure and processes that we use
to develop hydropower on Reclamation canals and dams.”
McCalman: “We’re trying to be inclusive and get comments from both with our internal customers and our external customers.
So we end up with a good product that people understand and people can follow to help aid in
the efficiency and development of these projects.
McCalman: “We wanted to share that with our external customers so they could provide input
on that process and help us improve that process.
Because they’re the ones that are going have to go through it and have to abide by what that Directive and Standard says.”
Narrator: That feedback continues to shape the LOPP program as it evolves.
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Narrator: Making the customer a partner provides a ground floor expansion for investment and development,
of hydropower resources.
Evans: “The Lease of Power Privilege is not a new idea. In fact, Reclamation has been doing it for almost 100 years.
The energy climate our nation has faced since 2008 has helped to highlight the many benefits the program has for Reclamation’s partners."
McCalman: “This Lease of Power Privilege development at Carter Lake is a good example
of how Reclamation and its water and power customers can work together to develop hydropower.”
Applegate: “This program is extremely important to Northern.”
Applegate - “They’ve also set it up to where it’s a competitive process,
and by doing it that way people have to put some thought into it and come with a very practical and economical solution.
Narrator: Today, Reclamation's partners are in the field, building toward the future.
Berry: “We’re going to develop a renewable resource and generate power.”
Berry: “We started the process back in December 2010, and we were done with the process essentially one year later.”
Berry: “We’re going to use the existing river outlet works and were going to tap that pipe that comes through the dam today
and were going to a bifurcate that over to a powerhouse,
and we plan to build about a seven Mega Watt generating station.”
Pulskamp: “We’re working with Department of Energy in their Water Power program to encourage small hydropower development
thru demonstration project as well as through grant opportunities to demonstrate new inexpensive hydropower technologies.”
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Berry: “And so we couldn’t have been happier with the process that we went through with Reclamation,
the local office in Grand Junction were very helpful, very supportive.”
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Berry: “It has been the last of our worries, really. It went very smoothly."
Brad Rowan: The value of partnership and cooperation is blazing a new process, a new path forward.
Working together, we are maximizing the efficient use of existing facilities and, creating new opportunities.
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