Montgomery County officials recently hosted a public meeting on potentially using the Norristown Dam to power all county operations with renewable energy, writes Emily Neil for the WHYY.

The county has initiated the process of seeking federal approval for the project by submitting an Initial Consultation Document to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. It will take between two and five years for the process to complete and this week’s public meeting was part of that process.

According to the project proposal, the hydroelectric project would generate around 7,300 MWh annually, more than enough to cover all the power needs of One Montgomery Plaza and the new Justice Center in Norristown. They have estimated yearly power requirements of 3,600 MWh.

County Commissioners Tom DiBello and Neil Makhija, members of the Montgomery County Planning Commission, and consulting firm Verdantas presented the proposal to the public during the meeting at Bridgeport Borough Hall.

“We have to take every step we can within our power to take climate action now,” said Makhija. “And for us, that means at the local level, taking use of a county-owned property like this dam and harnessing it for renewable energy in the form of hydroelectric power.”

Read more about the Norristown Dam in the WHYY.