Palmer Falls Hydroelectric Project
International Paper Company
Corinth, NY
The redeveloped Palmer Falls Hydroelectric Station went on line culminating years
of planning, licensing, design and construction. A sawmill at the Palmer
Falls site, built in 1889, was the first of several that used the Hudson
River for mechanical grinding of pulpwood for papermaking until the trend
away from that process left the facilities obsolete.
Kleinschmidt was retained to perform a feasibility study for redeveloping the site. The conclusions recommended redevelopment for 48MW of capacity. International Paper Company and Kleinschmidt continued to work together on preliminary design, state and federal licensing, refined energy estimates, power sales contract negotiations, financing, turbine vendor selection, detailed design and construction bidding.
Cianbro Corporation began demolition of the existing buildings and constructed a sheet pile cellular cofferdam around the tailrace. Over 43,000 cubic yards of rock and 6,000 cubic yards of earth followed the demolition phase.
Bechtel Corporation constructed the powerhouse, two 20-ft diameter penstocks, intake structure and spillway. The intake structure features a mechanical trashraking system and houses the headgates which can be used to close off the penstocks for de-watering the units.
The powerhouse features a control system designed and constructed to allow automatic, unattended operation of the station monitored from the adjacent paper mill. Two 24.83 MW
Toshiba vertical Kaplan propeller turbines, with Toshiba 23.9 MVA generators and Woodward Governors provide 48 MW of power generated from the station.
For more information contact Tom Kahl.