DOE Opens Hydropower Advancement Project Assessment Facility Registration
May 1, 2012
The Department of Energy estimates that approximately 8 to 16 GW of additional capacity and approximately 55 TWh of annual generation can be added through cost effective and sustainable upgrades at existing hydropower facilities. To support development of this resource, DOE has developed the Hydropower Advancement Project (HAP). As part of this project, DOE is performing standard assessments on select hydropower facilities to identify opportunities to increase generation and value through improvements and expansions. Such assessments will be performed by teams trained by DOE at no cost to the facility owners.
These assessments are intended to provide reports that contain sufficient information for facility owners to make a decision on further studies. The report will provide estimates for increased generation potential, costs/benefits of improvement activities and the recommendations for additional studies as needed. The report will also include a description of the facility and the site-specific environmental and operating constraints that impact generation and value.
DOE is providing this technical assistance opportunity to facility owners who volunteer to participate in HAP assessments.
How to Respond
To be considered for the standard assessment, DOE is requesting owners to volunteer their facility (facilities) with DOE by submitting responses that include the following information:
- Facility data sheet per Appendix B
- Letter of commitment stating that the owners are willing to volunteer their facility and will cooperate with the assessment teams and perform the functions described.
Responses must be provided as an attachment (in Microsoft Word format) to an e-mail message addressed to Matthew Hess at: matthew.hess@go.doe.gov. The subject line should read "HAP Assessment Facility Registration (insert name-organization)" by no later than 11:59 PM EDT on June 25, 2012.* Please include as part of your response, contact name(s), phone number(s), email addresses, organization name, address, and type of business or institution.
*Please note that this deadline has been extended to July 5, 2012 at 11:59pm.
Facility Owner/Operator Assessment Roles
Participation in the HAP assessments will require the owners to:
- Make the facility or facilities available for assessment by the assessment team
- Provide the staff resources and support required to interact with DOE and assessment team
- Review and sign any necessary non-disclosure agreements so that information may be shared among assessment team members and facility owners
- Provide the required reports and data for assessment (typical information needs identified in Appendix A)
- Participate in technical interviews to enable the assessment team to assimilate facility operations and maintenance strategies
- Host the preliminary and site visits (including escort of assessment team members
- Review and comment on the assessment results and reports
- Identify sensitive information for removal prior to public release of Assessment Reports
- Provide feedback to DOE and the assessment team as to the effectiveness of the assessment, the final report, and its impact on the owner’s business decisions
Typical time investment by facilities owners’ staff ranges from 40-80 hours.
Additional HAP Information
For more information on the HAP please refer to:
- Hydropower Advancement Project Request for Information (RFI), closed on February 6, 2012. Please note that FedConnect registration is NOT required to access the RFI. The document can be accessed by opening the “BODY” link under the 'Documentation' heading towards the right of the page.
- Hydropower Advancement Project Website
Contact Information
Contact Matthew Hess (matthew.hess@go.doe.gov) with questions or clarifications related to registering for HAP assessments.