Mystery Deepens as Mohave County Hunts for Clarity on Hydro Power Project

Several weeks have passed since Mohave County officials were informed about a proposed hydropower storage project north of Kingman. However, details remain sparse.

Mohave County Supervisor Travis Lingenfelter told the Today’s News-Herald that the county has reached out to federal agencies and the company behind the project, Gravity Storage LLC, but is still awaiting a response.

By Thursday morning, no new information had surfaced, leaving the Public Lands and Recreation Commission in the dark during their latest meeting.

Gravity Storage plans to build a hydroelectric storage facility near Red Lake, involving two water basins with approximately 26,000-acre-foot capacity each. These reservoirs will sit at different elevations, utilizing six-turbine generators to produce reusable energy.

The facility is expected to operate 12 hours daily and generate 3,000 megawatts, according to Gravity Storage’s website.

The proposed location overlaps with areas previously targeted for other projects, including failed attempts at hydrogen fuel production. “There was another group that tried to do hydrogen fuel production in the same area out of Red Lake. We defeated that, from a land use perspective,” Lingenfelter remarked.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has accepted a permit for a feasibility study submitted by Gravity Storage last November.

Concerns abound over the project’s water source. “It does not say what the source of the water would be, but the application does mention a number of new wells, and it’s a very large tunnel and pumping system,” Lingenfelter stated.

Public Works Director Steve Latoski highlighted that the project’s potential water evaporation could be as high as 3,100 acre-feet annually, or about one billion gallons. This loss would have to be replenished from the Hualapai Valley Groundwater Basin, a critical water source for Kingman and surrounding areas.

There’s also confusion about the energy’s end-use. “Obviously, we think that power would be shipped out, exported, not used locally,” Lingenfelter added.

Commissioners William (Don) Martin and David Diaz echoed these concerns. “Using that much water, out of that basin that we know is at-risk, it makes absolutely no sense,” Martin said. “What benefit would this project have to Mohave County in the long term?”

Diaz mentioned the need for more information or an in-depth presentation from FERC. Going forward, the county plans to formally oppose the project. “Mohave County will be submitting official opposition comments, and we do hope that the City of Kingman will be doing the same,” Lingenfelter added.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to review and approve these opposition comments soon.

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