Hydropower Eyes Bigger Energy Role, Less Environmental Harm

Whitewater rafters paddle on the Kennebec River in The Forks, Maine, on May 28, 2019. On the Kennebec River, conservation groups and state environmental agencies are pushing for the removal of four hydropower dams that block endangered Atlantic salmon from reaching habitat. The dams generate about 5% of the state’s renewable energy. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

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By Associated Press

March 19, 2022 at 4:06 AM UTC

Updated on

March 19, 2022 at 4:40 AM UTC

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Washington (AP) -- In southwestern Pennsylvania, eight locks and dams that for decades helped barges move goods along the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers will in a few years also generate enough power for 75,000 homes.

Rye Development, a Boston-based hydropower company, is retrofitting the dams with turbines to generate electricity and says the upgraded structures will limit damage to the rivers' water quality and fish.