Evening star., 1927-05-14
PLAN FOR HUGE
POWER Project
HydroeIectric Plants on Po-
tomac and Tributaries Are
Aim of Corporation.

The Potomac River Corporation of
Wilmington, Del, has made formal
application to the Federal Power
Commission for preliminary permit
for huge hydro.electric plant on the
Potomac River and its tributaries, in
Guiding plants at Great Falls and
Chain Bridge.
The application, signed by Robert
J. Bulkley of Cleveland, was received
by the commission yesterday and
under the rules it must be advertised
in the territory affected for eight
weeks before any permit is Issued.
If any objections appear in that
time then the commission will hold
public hearings, and If not then the
permit will be issued as a matter of
course, 1t was said.
The issuance of the permit, 1t was
pointed out, is not authority to pro-
ceed on the project, but it merely
serves to give the permittee priority
over any one else who might be figur.
ing on the project.
1t was added that It will cost a
quarter of a million dollars to make
the survey and plan design for such
a project, and for that reason, any
company seeking permit wants to
be protected against such a loss.
After the preliminary permit is is
sued, then, before any work on the
project can be started, there must be
a final permit, following an examina.
ton of the plans. specifications and
designs.
Request for Permit.
The memorandum of the Federal
Power Commission. announcing the
application says:
Potomac River Corporation, vii
mington. Del. requests preliminary
permit for a hydro-electric< power
project on the Potomac River and its
tributaries in the District OF Columbia
In Jefferson. Berkley, Morgan. Hamp
shire. Hardy and Pendleton Counties
West Virginia; in Montgomery, Fred
erick and Washington Counties, Mary.
land. and in Fairfax. Loudoun. Clark,
Warren and Rockingham Counties
Virginia.
The proposed scheme of develop
ment is similar to that recommended
by Maj. Tyler in Senate Document No.
403, Sixty-sixth Congress, third ses-
sion, with the addition of storage
dam at Charles Town, w. Va, and
with the addition of dams and power
house near Harpers Ferry. w. Va.
The present project covers four
storage dams-near Charles Town, W.
Va; at Brooks Gap near Broadway.
Va; on South Branch near Spring
field, w. Va, and on the Great Caca-
pom near Berkeley Springs, w. Va.
Power is to be developed near Har-
pers Ferry. w. Va; at Great Falls,
near Washington, and at Chain
Bridge. Washington.
The four reservoirs are to store
l $3.50. .000-acre feet of water and are
to equalize the flow of the
Potomac River about 5000 cubic feet
per second. The power capacity of
the project is not stated, but in Maj
Tyler's report the total combined in
stalled capacity of the power plants
at Great Falls and at Chain Bridge
was recommended at 294, 900 horse
power. The power to be generated is
% be sold for public utility purposes
70 operating and distributing COM
panies, to industries, and to other
users of electric energy"
Potomac Connection Seen.
AS the information at the Federal |
O"CA SOtIlliil6SlOI IL 10 the elIGCL
hat the power will be sold to public |
Utilities companies, it is believed that |
'ome arrangement would be made to |
connect up with the Potomac Electric |
Power Co., who would take the |
power and serve 1t to the people |
II the District of Columbia. This |
becomes apparent from the fact that |
he Potomac Electric Power Company |
las thousands of dollars invested in
he transmission lines in this terri
ory, which, IL replaced by another
ompany, might take away the low
'ost of producing the current by |
vater power.
Officials Of the Potomac Electric
'ower Company said that the mat
er of purchasing hydroelectric cur
ent was matter of dollars and cents
With that company-that is, If the
ompany can serve the people cheap 1
r by water power they would be
Interested. but otherwise not.
The local electric company Is not
Enthusiastic over the hydro electric
evelopment on the Potomac, 1t was
ointed out. as it is the belief of
fficials that steam produced current
more reliable, as against hydro de-
elopment. especially on river like
ae Potomac, which is subject to such
reat fluctuations in flow.
Maj. Tyler. in his report, said that
Continued on Page 2. Column %
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