Developers of a proposed hydropower facility in Bell County have submitted the project’s final licensing application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project is set to be built on former mine land near the Tennessee border.
If constructed, it would be one of the first such facilities in the country to be built in 30 years. Developers say it would power 67,000 homes.
Sandy Slayton is the Vice President of Rye Development, which is developing the project. She says submitting that application kicks off a years-long review process.
“There will be a review process where FERC looks at the information we've provided,” Slayton said. “There'll be some opportunities for public comment in there, to be sure to get the community engaged.”
She says they expect it to be fully constructed in 2031.
“We expect that this next phase of review will take about two years in order for us to get a FERC license, and then we're anticipating about a four year construction process,” Slayton said. “That's been our estimate, really, since we started looking at the project.”
Slayton says they expect the project to create 2,300 construction jobs, and employ 45 when the facility opens. They’re partnering with local nonprofits, unions and colleges to hire and train workers.
