St. Anthony Falls Hydroelectric Development

For comparison, the first large scale production of electricity in the world was at the Adams (Tesla) plant at Niagara Falls starting 1895, which used alternating current.

The Eastman tunnel[9][10] disaster was fixed with a dike, but at the same time the falls were encased in a sloping wood timber apron.

[13] Soon Minneapolis street lights were added, including a 257 ft high tower at Bridge Square.

For comparison, Edison's Pearl Street Station also started producing electric power September 1882 (using steam).

Not only is the Brush central station long gone, the remains of Upton Island were removed when the locks were installed in the 1960s.

GE combined that with other water rights, including from sawmills that had burned down, and built the Main Street Station at the falls, constructed 1894-1895.

[17] The Station continued to produce electricity until 1968 Shown in the picture, the plant is very visible at 206 Main St. One side, with intake gates, is against the upper pond.

The plant also used an innovative horizontal shaft direct mechanical connection between turbines and generators instead of a belt drive common previously.

)[23][24][25] [11] In the same area, the Southeast Steam Plant was constructed 1903 at the east bank end of the Stone Arch Bridge, also to power streetcars.

More recently, a hydroelectric power generating system was installed in the auxiliary lock at the lower dam.

[26] FERC license 12451 was issued in 2016 to "SAF Hydroelectric" for project "Lower St. Anthony Falls", expires 2056.

In yet another De la Barre project, 1906-1908 he designed and built the Hennepin Island Hydroelectric Plant.

The plant originally produced power at 35 Hz, 9.9 megawatts, using four horizontal shaft direct drive generators.

In 1955 as streetcars were replaced by buses the plant was converted to 60 Hz and a fifth generator was added for a total capacity of 12.4 megawatts.

This places the turbine at a lower level than horizontal shaft setups, which allows the available head to be better used.

[27][28][29][11] [30] FERC license 2056 was reissued in 2004 (amended 2011) to "Northern States Power Co (MN)" for project "St. Anthony Falls", expires 2034.

In the past the Main Street Station, lower dam and Consolidated Hydro have been under this license.

As west bank flour mills left the Falls and the buildings were torn down, Northern States Power used the turbines at seven of the sites to generate 2.73 megawatts of electricity.

Construction of the lock at the falls blocked the "power canal" which was the headrace for the hydro sites, ending the Consolidated Hydroelectric Plant 1959.

All that can be seen of the project is the intake trashrack and gate driver at the riverbank at Second Ave. Southeast and water out of the east tailrace tunnel.

[38][39] FERC license 14628 was issued in 2015 to "Minneapolis Leased Housing Assn IV" for project "A-mill Artist Lofts", 0.6 megawatts, expires 2065.

In 1912 Consumers Power acquired the Minneapolis General Electric Company (and Main Street Station).

Assets wound up with Pillsbury Flour Mills Company in 1923, and that year the waterpower companies (and the Lower Dam Hydroelectric Plant, and Hennepin Island Hydroelectric Plant and the waterpower rights) were sold to a subsidiary of Northern States Power.

The 2004 FERC license renewal for NSP (the Hennepin Island Power Plant) requires a minimum flow over the Falls 2 inches deep.

That includes opinion surveys from people at the falls using pictures of different flow rates.

The report from NSP to FERC was issued March 30, 2017 and recommends a minimum flow of 300 cfs all the time.

Crown Hydro then proposed a license change locating the generators at the former Fuji-Ya Restaurant site.

This location results in potential impact to numerous historic properties, particularly from a new tailrace tunnel.

That requires a Section 106 review (which protects historically significant properties such as the Ida Dorsey Bordello).

Symphony Hydro proposes putting generator panels inside one of the locks (which are inactive to control "flying carp").