SHENANGO VALLEY

An Akron company is looking at adding an electrifying addition to the dam at Shenango River Lake.

Universal Electric Power Corp. is seeking a permit to conduct a study on building a small hydroelectric power plant at the dam.

If an application filed by the company with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is approved by the agency it would only allow Universal Electric to conduct a three year study.

"This wouldn't allow any construction,'' said Celeste Miller, a FERC spokeswoman. "If a party wants to develop a site with construction they have to file a license application which is a separate proceeding through FERC. It's a much more involved process with many environmental studies and other agencies at the federal, state and local level being involved and we would have public meetings.''

This latest application would replace a previous permit issued by FERC three years ago for Universal Electric to conduct a similar study at the site. That permit has expired. Public meetings generally aren't held for study permits, Ms. Miller said.

The company is looking to build a 1.5-megawatt hydroelectric power plant at the dam which would supply enough power for 1,100 homes, said Ray Helter, regulatory specialist for Universal Electric. By comparison the hydroelectric plant at Kinzua Dam in Warren County can generate 800 megawatts of power.

No cost estimate was available for the proposed Shenango Dam project. But plans being considered are constructing a small 30-foot by 30-foot plant, Helter said.

"There would be almost no changes in landscaping or anything,'' he said.

Grove City looked at building a hydro plant at the dam more than 20 years ago. But that project fell by the wayside, in part, because hunters and fishermen objected, fearing it would harm their respective sports at the site, Helter noted. A significant part of Universal Electric's study would involve environmental questions, he added.

"I don't know of any way that we would impact the fishing or hunting with our turbine,'' he said. "We want to cooperate with the environmentalists, hunters and fishermen as much as we can.''

If the plant is built Helter said electricity would be sold to FirstEnergy Corp., the local power supplier, or area industries. The company's past permit expired because it got tied up with studies of hydro plants along the Allegheny River in the Pittsburgh region.

A five-year-old company, Universal Electric is a hydroelectric plant developer which also manufactures turbines used in the plants to create electricity.

Operated by the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers, the Shenango Dam was built in the mid-'60s for flood control. The Corps of Engineers would be a major player in deciding whether a hydro plant should be allowed at the site. Over the years the Corps of Engineers have nixed various recreational development plans at Shenango River Lake.

A study is only the first step of a very long journey toward a hydro plant, said Bob John, outdoor recreation planner for the Corps of Engineers' Pittsburgh office.

"I don't think it's anything to be concerned about,'' John said. "I can tell you most of the Corps' locks and dams in our district have or are under investigation for hydro power plants.''

Should the idea progress the Corps of Engineers would thoroughly review any plans for the plant, he added.

"If it is built there would be no change to the flood control or recreation. We don't make any kind of special (water) releases for them. We would still operate the dam as we always have,'' John said.

FERC will accept public comments on the permit application for the next 60 days.

Comments can be made on the Internet at the commission's web site at: www. ferc.fed.us/efi/doorbell.htm. Include the project number: P-12262-000. Written comments, an original plus eight copies, should be mailed to: Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St. N.E, Washington D.C. 20426.