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WENATCHEE — The Chelan County PUD will begin the relicensing process for the Rock Island Hydroelectric Project on December 15.

Rock Island Dam has now been operating under the Chelan PUD for 68 years. This will mark the third license for the project. The current license is set to expire in 2028.

The license acts as a 30 to 50 year permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which authorizes the Chelan PUD to continue generating power at the dam.

Relicensing is a public process that involves both the PUD and FERC to evaluate the resources associated to the project. This includes flood control, fish and wildlife, power generation, recreation, cultural resources and factors of environmental quality.

Under the new license, Chelan PUD will be required to invest in protection, mitigation and enhancement measures for the project. FERC is tasked with ensuring that these measures are based on scientific studies and historically-accurate information.

The relicensing process, on average, takes around a minimum of five years. Chelan PUD will file the pre-application document soon as a notice of relicensing. Then the official license application is due by the end of December 2026.

If all goes well, the new license will be issued around January 2029.

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