The Sacramento Municipal Utility Districtgot a 50-year renewal to operate its hydroelectric projects on the upper American River.

The utility operates 11 reservoirs and eight powerhouses in the upper American, which generate 688 megawatts of electricity, representing about 15 percent of SMUD’s annual power.

Part of the new license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission calls for SMUD to make some changes. The utility will make several recreational upgrades to reservoirs and it will increase the volume of water it releases into streams to benefit natural resources.

“It is gratifying to receive a new 50-year license,” SMUD CEO Arlen Orchard said in a news release. “It allows SMUD to continue to generate large quantities of non-carbon-emitting energy over the next 50 years from our most valuable, lowest-cost power supply.”

The license also allows SMUD to move ahead with the design and potential construction of the 400 megawatt Iowa Hillpumped-storage development, which would pump water uphill during times of light electric use, and generate power during summer peak periods.

The utility is still doing feasibility work on the $800 million Iowa Hill project, which could take three years.

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