By Lois Henry. SJV Water
A “pumped energy storage” project above Isabella Lake that generated dozens of negative comments when it was first proposed back in 2020 is again rousing concerned comments from Kern River Valley residents.
Ten individuals have so far weighed in on the proposal, which would build a small reservoir somewhere above Isabella Lake, move water uphill when power is abundant, then run it down through turbines when demand increases. The concept is a way to supplement renewable sources, such as solar, that don’t produce power at night.
But the Isabella Lake proposal by Premium Energy Holdings LLC has been met with heavy local opposition. Nearly 50 individuals and organizations opposed the project and several public entities filed motions to intervene with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission back in 2020.
FERC ultimately did grant the project a preliminary permit, which is sort of a placeholder giving the company time to do feasibility studies and gather financing to, perhaps, someday, apply for a license from FERC. That permit expired, so the company has refiled the same proposal.
All those previous comments expired with the permit, which means residents must refile comments. That didn’t sit well with at least one recent commenter.
“Allowing a permit to expire and be re-filed should not be a way to bypass/overlook interventions or comments,” Juliet Fischer wrote to FERC.
Motions to intervene have started rolling in as well, including from Kern River rights holders, who also intervened on the previous proposal.
SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site covering water in the San Joaquin Valley, www.sjvwater.org. Email us at [email protected]
