By CASEY JUNKINS
The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register
YORKVILLE, Ohio — Fishing on a bright morning at the Pike Island Locks and Dam recreation area, Bridgeport resident Bobby Gillespie said he supports a $200 million hydroelectric plant at the site because he said it may help him hook a larger catch — and help power the Upper Ohio Valley.
(The Intelligencer photo by Casey Jenkins)
Fishermen, residents, public agencies and others have the chance to voice their opinions on the planned hydroelectric plant during an official Federal Energy Regulatory Commission public hearing set for 1-3 p.m. Sept. 6 at the Tiltonsville Village Building, which is located at 222 Grandview Ave.
Alan Skelly, CEO of Pike Island Energy, said his firm’s proposed plant likely would not be up and running for about five years, but said the six-turbine system would generate enough power for about 20,000 homes.
“We would sell the power to large end-users, which could include the federal government,” Skelly said. “We would certainly try to use some of it locally.”
Skelly wants FERC approval to build the 48-megawatt plant. He said the project, which would probably employ 10-15 workers at “utility-level salaries,” is viable because so many coal-fired power plants have closed in recent years.
“It will take us about two years to get through the permit process,” Skelly said. “Then, another two and a half to three years to build it.”
Gillespie said he has no problem with the hydroelectric plant at Pike Island. In fact, he said it may actually help the fishing conditions because of how certain types of fish interact with the water around such a plant.
“I think every dam up and down the (Ohio) River should have one, as long as the electricity stays local,” Gillespie said. “It would make the fishing better. They just need to let us know where they are going to put the pier.”
Skelly said the power generator would be located on the portion of the dam closest to Ohio to allow river vessels to pass through the locks portion of the facility. Gillespie and the other fishermen at the site said they believe this will force their fishing pier — from which they catch walleye, catfish, bass, perch and other fish — to move southward.
“I come down six or seven times a year,” Akron, Ohio resident Bernie Shocklee said. “It’s fine if they want to do that, as long as they accommodate us.”
Fellow Akron resident John Skipper agreed, while Steubenville resident Rodney James said the hydroelectric plant should not be a problem.
“If it helps the community, go ahead and build it,” James added while casting his fishing line.
Skelly said he believes his plant can coexist with the fishermen in the recreation area.
“I consider the fishing resource valuable. I am supportive of them and we should be able to make it work,” he said.
This is not the first time someone has tried to build a hydroelectric plant at Pike Island.
In 2014, American Municipal Power considered a similar project, but eventually dropped the idea. Instead, AMP officials opened generating units at the Willow Island Lock and Dam in Pleasants County, W.Va. last year.
The New Martinsville/Hannibal Hydroelectric Plant, also an AMP project, has been in place since 1988.
The Pike Island Locks and Dam, built in 1963, spans the Ohio River between the Buckeye State and the Mountain State. Its West Virginia terminal is just north of the Warwood section of Wheeling, while the Ohio side reaches Yorkville.
Statistics from the U.S. Energy Information Administration show hydroelectric generation continuing to grow, as generators across the nation increased wattage output by 12.9 percent from May 2016 to May 2017.
See more from The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register
