NWE begins relicensing process

NorthWestern Energy has officially initiated the process of relicensing the Thompson Falls Hydroelectric Project – FERC Project No. 1869 (the Project), by filing a Notice of Intent to file a License Application (NOI), to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Alongside the NOI, a Pre-Application Document (PAD), was also submitted.

The PAD, which was filed electronically on NorthWestern’s part states, “this document (PAD) describes the project proposal and existing relevant information that can be used to assess potential project effects on natural, cultural, recreational, and tribal resources.” The information and collected data are needed in the approval, when NorthWestern Energy files a Final License Application (FLA) with FERC, as the current license the Thompson Falls Hydroelectric Project is currently working under, is set to expire on December 31, 2025.

The Ledger received a copy of the July 1, 2020, NOI that was sent to Secretary Bose of FERC. In that letter, NorthWestern details the voluntary activities that have been conducted on their part, prior to filing. The activities included a relicensing outreach discussion that was held in Missoula during September 2018. The letter lists the two public meetings NorthWestern hosted in Thompson Falls in October 2019 and March 2020. The company also states they submitted a Recreation Visitor Survey that monitored the volume of recreation during the peak recreation season of 2019, as well as a Biological Opinion that was submitted as a FERC requirement to describe, “the effects of the Project on threatened bull trout and its critical habitat,” the NOI states. Additionally, NorthWestern prepared a Baseline Environmental Document (BED), that is a compilation of existing resource information.

The NOI and PAD filing are part of FERC’s Integrated Relicensing Process requirements. “The filing formally triggers the process we will follow for the next two years before we will file our application to relicense,” stated Mary Gail Sullivan, Director of Environmental and Lands, Permitting and Compliance for NorthWestern Energy. In prior public meetings, Sullivan has stated the relicensing process for this kind of long-term licensing, requires long-term development. NorthWestern is required by FERC to file the NOI and PAD, five to five and a half years before the expiration of the current license. The NOI and PAD have been filed publicly, and Sullivan says that information has been made available to anyone on the NorthWestern Energy website.

Regarding the voluntary activities outlined in the NOI, Sullivan says it’s not a required process that is expected of applicants. “Preparing the BED and soliciting input on it, and then hosting four meetings was going the extra mile,” Sullivan stated. “It was worth it though, as we ended up with a pretty comprehensive Pre-Application Document.”

One of the main topics of discussion at the public meetings held in Thompson Falls, was the four-foot draw down of the river level on October 10, 2019. Operations made during the draw down tests were shared with the public in the March 2020 meeting.

While additional studies are still needed, NorthWestern states to FERC in the PAD, “NorthWestern concludes that drafting the Thompson Falls Reservoir the full four-feet as described by the current license on a regular and frequent basis will have an unacceptable level of impact to resources including recreation, shoreline residents, fisheries, and the community.”

NorthWestern Energy will make announcements for further public input in the near future. The company is taking into consideration the COVID-19 public health concerns and current bandwidth limitations in the Thompson Falls area and are prepared to accommodation adjustments during these fluid circumstances.