The Essex Partnership is providing strategic planning and facilitation services to the California Bay-Delta Authority (CBDA) for the science component of DRERIP. Issues include development of a scientific evaluation process, integration with regulatory activities, development of species life history conceptual models, development of eco-system element conceptual models, and prioritizing a significant number of pre-defined actions for the Delta region. The Partnership provides technical support, facilitation, scheduling, and meeting documentation support for an Adaptive Management Planning Team formed to help oversee the science component of DRERIP. The Partnership also assists in coordinating other aspects of the process and drafting reports and summary materials.

The Essex Partnership is assisting in preparation of an updated management plan for the NBNERR, one of 27 national reserves managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Partnership has coordinated and facilitated stakeholder focus groups regarding research and monitoring, education, coastal training, and stewardship. The Partnership is also facilitating discussions of a senior executive Advisory Committee focused on policy issues such as program administration, public access and recreation, and facilities planning. Based on input from the focus groups and Advisory Committee, the Partnership will draft an updated management plan.

The Essex Partnership was retained to facilitate an independent Science Advisors process in association with development of an HCP/NCCP for Santa Clara County in California. The process involved working with state and federal wildlife agencies, local partners, and stakeholders to identify and select science advisors; organization and facilitation of a two-day advisors workshop; and assistance in preparing a Science Advisors report.

The Essex Partnership is assisting the Pawtuxet River Authority in managing and facilitating ongoing discussions regarding restoration of the Pawtuxet River in Rhode Island. The Partnership has been assisting in the review and selection of technical consultants and providing facilitation of Steering Committee meetings involving state, federal, and local agencies and non-governmental interest groups including Save the Bay and American Rivers.

The Essex Partnership is assisting a subgroup of the Rhode Island Habitat Restoration Team in ongoing discussions regarding development of a statewide habitat restoration strategy.

The Essex Partnership assisted a large private equity firm with its 2006 acquisition of a portfolio of 14 hydroelectric projects located in five states from California to South Carolina. The assets range in size from 1 to 6 megawatts and represent a diverse mix of technologies. The oldest project initially went into service in 1898, while the newest project came on line in 1989. The Partnership assisted the purchaser with the condition assessment and valuation of the assets. Our specific scope of work included: condition assessments, hydrologic analyses and energy studies, regulatory compliance review, and development of going-forward costs for capital and operational expenditures.

The Essex Partnership is leading a study team to evaluate the feasibility of increasing the capacity of a large hydroelectric project in the southeast. The upgrade is being contemplated as part of the FERC relicensing process and would increase the capacity of the project by as much as 40%. The feasibility study involves preliminary engineering, equipment selection, energy studies, developing opinions of probable costs and economic analyses. The Partnership is also providing strategic support to the owner to optimize the project for the anticipated new license conditions. Based on the results of the study, the owner will reconfigure the generating equipment and revise project operations for the new license.

The Essex Partnership is providing technical assistance for a confidential client to repower several combustion turbine projects in the northeast. Our responsibilities include evaluating performance and going-forward costs for various equipment options, permitting, procurement and construction. Following the study phase, we assisted the client with finalizing equipment options for procurement in 2007.

As part of the post-licensing compliance for a large portfolio of hydroelectric projects in western Connecticut, the Essex Partnership prepared a detailed shoreline management plan. The plan addresses land management, river and lake access, recreation, water quality and critical environmental habitats. The scope of work included stakeholder outreach and education, facilitation of workshops and public meetings, agency negotiations and media relations. Much of the stakeholder outreach and consultation was made available on our website (www.essexpartnership.com) which was expanded and enhanced for the project duration.

The Essex Partnership is working with an investment firm to develop two new hydroelectric projects in western New York State. The FERC issued preliminary permits for the two projects and we are proceeding with engineering and licensing activities. The Essex Partnership is providing the lead engineering and licensing services and assisting the owner with strategic planning.

The Essex Partnership performed a due diligence investigation to assist an investment firm in the purchase of a 33-megawatt hydro facility in New York. The study included a condition assessment of existing structures and equipment, an evaluation of historic generation and hydrology records to develop projections of expected generation, a regulatory compliance review of existing and anticipated license conditions, and developing an opinion of going-forward capital and operational expenditures.

The Essex Partnership provided Owner Engineer services for the annual inspection and maintenance outage of a 700-megawatt pump storage project in western Massachusetts. The scope of the maintenance work included remote underwater inspections of the power tunnel and penstocks; disassembly, cleaning, inspection and repair of the pump turbine, generator, and associated equipment; and the testing and calibration of the electrical relays. Our client was a syndicate of debt and equity holders who performed the maintenance outage as a condition of sale. The transaction successfully closed in 2006.

The Essex Partnership recently completed a desk-top study for a confidential client to assess the feasibility of a proposed 500 MW+ hydroelectric project in southern Argentina. The project would involve the construction of new dams, waterways, powerhouses with hydro generating equipment and transmission facilities. This study involves evaluating preliminary engineering information, hydrology and construction costs to develop an opinion of likely production costs and the viability of the project in the southern Argentina energy market. The project is currently under review.