DOE awards $2.1M in incentives for Appalachian Power’s Byllesby Hydroelectric facility
The Byllesby Hydroelectric facility in Carroll County, Va., recently received $2.1 million in Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) – one of 46 sites selected for such awards across the country.
With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Appalachian Power-owned facility will replace one of its four turbine-generator units. What is known as Unit 4 is currently inoperable, so in replacing it, Appalachian Power will gain greater electricity generation capabilities from the same volume of the water.
Byllesby has been in service since its construction in 1912.
“It’s rewarding we were able to accomplish our goal,” Ed Brennan, Appalachian Power’s Hydro Environmental Coordinator, said. “This was a collaborative effort that took a lot of work between many different groups to make this happen. We’re pleased we were able to acquire these funds to help Byllesby run more efficiently, while helping to keep cost down for our customers.”
Before its update, Byllesby has been able to produce 30 MW of generating capacity. While no estimates were provided on whether this will change after the generator replacement, based on the requirements of the payments the capital improvement should ultimately boost efficiency at least 3 percent.
All current work is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
