Eagle Creek acquires Blue Heron Hydro in US

Eagle Creek Renewable Energy has acquired the Blue Heron Hydro; a US based private company, which has the rights to develop two hydroelectric facilities on the Army Corps of Engineers dams on the West River in southern Vermont.

The two hydroelectric facilities to be constructed at the Ball Mountain and Townshend dams will together have an electricity generating capacity of 3.1MW and will produce 10,000MWh of energy every year. The facilities will use the water from the flowing Army Corps dams.

Eagle Creek CEO Bud Cherry said the acquisition of Blue Heron is an important step in the company’s efforts to both acquire and optimise existing hydroelectric facilities and constructs new facilities in a manner that is safe, responsible, and respectful of the environment and the many stakeholders of its water resources.

"This acquisition continues the growth and value creation underway at Eagle Creek while broadening the scope of our efforts to include the construction of new generating facilities from late stage development opportunities," Cherry added.

The electricity generated at the two facilities will be sold under long term power purchase agreements through the Vermont Sustainably Priced Energy Development programme.

The power produced will help the state of Vermont’s goal to achieve 20% of the total electricity consumption from renewable resources by 2017.

The turbine and generator equipment for the projects are being constructed at the Obermeyer Hydro’s facility in Fort Collins, Colorado and the on-site construction of the projects is predicted to commence in the first quarter of 2013 and operational services are estimated to begin in the third quarter of 2013.

The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had earlier issued a new 50-year operating license for the two Blue Heron projects.

US based Eagle Creek acquires, develops, owns, and operates small-scale hydroelectric generating facilities.