Allegheny County inks 35-year deal to use hydropower generated in Emsworth for government buildings

The power used by the Allegheny County Courthouse, jail and other government buildings will be generated by hydroelectric energy harnessed from the Emsworth Lock and Dam, county Executive Rich Fitzgerald said Thursday.

Fitzgerald was joined by Paul Jacob, CEO of Boston-based Rye Development, which has an office in Downtown Pittsburgh, and other officials as they celebrated a milestone toward using more climate-friendly energy sources.

The project has been in the works for several years and was the second piece of good environmental news shared by the county recently.

On Tuesday, the county announced that all eight of its air quality monitors met federal air quality standards — something that hadn’t been accomplished since the standards were put into place more than two decades ago.

“This is a historic week in Allegheny County,” Fitzgerald said during Thursday’s virtual news conference.

Both moves show the county’s commitment to being stewards of the environment, Fitzgerald said.

The county has inked a 35-year agreement to buy power generated by the Emsworth plant from Rye. It’s expected to generate 17.8 megawatts, Jacob said. Excess power will be supplied to other entities, Jacob said.

It’s a $50 million project that’s one of 10 hydropower projects in southwestern Pennsylvania on the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers in coming years.

Rye’s work on the project started in 2012 when it began the federal regulatory approval process.

Design work will be starting soon and the project could begin later this year, but is subject to approval by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the Emsworth Lock and Dam, Jacob said.

It could be operational by 2023.

Two years ago, Rye responded to a county query for proposals from hydropower facilities, leading up to Thursday’s announcement of the agreement with Allegheny County.

About 200 jobs will be created during construction. When the plan is online it will employ no more than three full-time people, however, Jacob said.

The cost of the project itself will be privately funded. The county didn’t disclose how much it will pay Rye for electricity, but the rate will be stable and should generate savings, Fitzgerald said.

Over the course of the 35 years the county will use power generated in Emsworth, the county will offset the emissions equivalent of more than 3,400 households and offset more than 1 million metric tons of carbon emissions, according to the county.

That’s equivalent to the emissions generated by driving a gas-powered vehicle about 2.6 billion miles, the county said.

The project was lauded by Sustainable Pittsburgh, a group that encourages environmentally-friendly practices. In moving forward with the plan, the county is leading by example, said Sustainable Pittsburgh Executive Director Joylette Portlock.

It’s a move that addresses climate change in the region and invests in the health and future of the region, she said, and is “what leadership and intentional effort look like.”

Davitt Woodwell, president of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, said it’s “another step forward” on the road toward mitigating the effects of climate change.

The project is also in line with the Biden Administration’s climate policies, Fitzgerald said.

“This is the type of project the administration wants to push,” he said.