Hennepin Island Hydroelectric Plant
Hennepin Island Hydroelectric Plant or St. Anthony Hydro Plant is the name of a hydroelectric plant on the site of earlier sawmills at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis , Minnesota . The current structure was built in 1882 by William de la Barre to generate electricity and is operated by Xcel Energy . The facility stands on the east bank of the Mississippi River near Pillsbury A Mill by the only waterfalls on the river that once provided power to sawmills , flour mills and other industrial operations. Today the power station is the only industrial use of the falls. The installed capacity of the five generators is around twelve megawatts .
In March 2004, Xcel Energy renewed the license granted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to produce energy at the site. A condition for this extension was the obligation to give the public access to the facility on the spot and thereby to show the importance for the development of the waterfalls since the beginning of the settlement by Europeans. A footpath now leads in front of the building to the bridge that crosses the flood canal that separates the power station building from Hennepin Island. Part of the island has been converted into a visitor park, which allows the public to approach the falls directly. In cooperation with the University of Minnesota , a research station is to be operated in order to better study ecology and hydrology on site.
The property is one of 85 Contributing Properties in the Saint Anthony Falls Historic District .
Crown Hydro has proposed the construction of another power plant on the opposite bank of the river, next to the Stone Arch Bridge .
Remarks
- ↑ Xcel Energy: Hennepin Island ( English ) 2006. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
- ↑ Minnesota Historical Society: St. Anthony Falls Historic District ( English ) 2001. Retrieved on June 24 of 2008.
Web links
Coordinates: 44 ° 58 ′ 51.4 " N , 93 ° 15 ′ 27.8" W.