Boulder hydroelectric plant may spin another half-century

Oct 5 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Joe Rubino Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.

The Boulder Canyon hydroelectric plant is more than a century old, and a few years ago it appeared to be near the end of its operable life.

But thanks in part to a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and two and a half years of hard work, about 90 people gathered Thursday at the plant -- just east of the tunnel on Boulder Canyon Drive -- to celebrate completion of an extensive modernization project there.

The project should allow the plant to continue operating as an important component of Boulder's eight-turbine hydroelectric energy system for the next 50 years, according to city officials.

"This (facility) is the flagship of our hydroelectric portfolio," Boulder City Councilman Ken Wilson said Thursday.

Originally opened in 1910 by the Central Colorado Power Co., the Boulder Canyon hydroelectric facility was intended to provide electricity to growing communities. It originally featured two 7-megawatt turbine/generators, replaced in 1938 by two 10-megawatt turbines as the area's population expanded, according to city officials.

In the 1950s, the hydroelectric system, which includes Barker Reservoir, began delivering water to Boulder's municipal water supply, on top of generating power. Various companies owned the plant over the years before the city bought it in 2001 from what is now Xcel Energy and added it to the Boulder hydroelectric program, officials said.

Boulder sells power generated by the plant to Xcel, and the revenue is used to lower water rates, according to Boulder Public Works spokeswoman Jody Jacobson.

The modernization project included the removal of one of the massive 10-megawatt turbines and its replacement with a state-of-the-art 5-megawatt turbine designed to generate up to 580,000 megawatt-hours of electricity over its 50-year life span -- a generation capacity more appropriate for the facility's uses, officials said. It is expected to generate enough energy for up to 12,000 homes each year.

The other 10-megawatt turbine broke down in 2000 and was never repaired. It remains intact at the facility and will be restored for historical purposes.

Additional upgrades at the plant include replacement of an oil storage tank for the turbine, enhancement of lighting protection, upgraded wiring and other safety measures, officials said.

Design work and manufacturing of parts for the modernization project began in early 2010. When construction was set to begin in November 2011, project leader Joe Taddeucci said, he and others shut down the old turbine for the last time, a somber experience.

"Two weeks ago, we turned on the new turbine," Taddeucci said Thursday. "That somber feeling we had at the beginning was replaced with a feeling of excitement and satisfaction."

At a total cost of $5.16 million, the project might have been shelved for years had Boulder not been awarded the DOE grant, officials said. The $1.8 million grant was distributed as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program.

The rest of the money came from the city's water utility fund.

"The completion of projects such as this project demonstrates how federal government can work together with local government to create jobs and diversify America's energy portfolio and strengthen energy security," said Gary Nowakowski, a DOE branch chief.

Over the next 50 years, operations at the facility are expected to eliminate the need to burn 300,000 tons of coal and offset 303,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the city.

City Councilman Tim Plass said he was impressed by the project.

"We have really wonderful equipment in a historic building, so we're meeting multiple city goals," Plass said. "We are continuing the mission the people who built this place over 100 years ago had. I think that's really exciting, and the best way to honor the work they did."