{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"KZYX News","title":"Potter Valley Project takes another turn","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":388,"description":"February 4, 2022 — The fate of the Potter Valley Project took a few more turns this week, with a regional coalition declaring it will not file for the license application and PG&E taking steps to operate the project under an annual license until the next development.\r\nPG&E, which owns and operates the project, announced in 2019 that it would not renew the license or continue to try to sell it. A regional coalition that includes Mendocino and Humboldt counties, California Trout, Sonoma Water Agency and the Round Valley Indian Tribes was the only entity willing to take on the license, which involves multi-million dollar studies and ongoing maintenance and operation costs. In July, a transformer bank went down in the powerhouse, which severely curtailed the amount of water the project is able to divert from the Eel River into the Russian River. PG&E estimates it would cost five to ten million dollars to custom-engineer a replacement and take two years to replace.\r\nOn Monday, the coalition sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, admitting that it was unable to raise enough money for the required studies and that it will not file an application by the time the current license expires in mid-April.\r\nTwo days later, PG&E informed the coalition leaders that it had decided to “return the powerhouse to full operational status.” PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno said that, although the exact costs are unknown, the company expects to recoup the costs of the repair within five years. \r\nAlicia Hamann, Executive Director of Friends of the Eel River, is advocating for a speedy decommissioning process. She has some idea of who will pay for the repairs.\r\n“The main transformer bank actually failed in July,” she said. “And there weren’t many folks who were made aware of that right away. So when we found out, Friends of the Eel immediately sent a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission, notifying them that this was happening and giving them a heads up that...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/xZpAumwbhFUpJUYcwaQ1-q6snzOyqAm13l7cW6AWPCM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mMzkz/NjAwNjc2OWMyZmFk/YWY2YTdmYjI5M2Mz/YWMxNy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}