Stakeholders ink hydro re-licensing deal

After more than 12 thousand hours of meetings and three thousand lunches, the Keowee-Toxaway hydro re-licensing stakeholder team has an agreement which Duke Energy says will mean water and recreation benefits to the region. A signing ceremony yesterday formalized the contract among Duke Energy, community stakeholders and government agencies that outlines enhancements in water resource protection, recreation amenities, land conservation and shoreline management over the course of a new federal license. Keowee-Toxaway’s original license expires in 2016. This new license application, to be sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, will cover 30 to 50 years.