LIHI certification of low-impact facilities is limited to certain types of hydropower facilities located in the United States. Program eligibility is provided for in Section 2 of the LIHI Handbook available on the Cómo aplicar page. The current eligibility requirements for LIHI certification are as follows:

Instalaciones elegibles para la certificación LIHI

En general, las instalaciones hidroeléctricas convencionales ubicadas dentro de los Estados Unidos son elegibles para solicitar la certificación LIHI, siempre que no involucren la construcción de nuevas represas o desviaciones después de agosto de 1998. Las instalaciones que no involucren una represa o desvío no están sujetas a la limitación de la fecha de construcción de agosto de 1998.

Instalaciones existentes y nuevas

Las instalaciones hidroeléctricas “existentes”, es decir, aquellas que tienen centrales eléctricas ubicadas en represas o desvíos existentes y que generaban electricidad en agosto de 1998, son elegibles para solicitar la certificación LIHI. Las instalaciones hidroeléctricas “nuevas”, es decir, aquellas que agregaron una nueva central eléctrica en una represa que anteriormente no tenía energía o una que aumentó la capacidad de generación de energía después de agosto de 1998, también son elegibles para la certificación LIHI, siempre que la represa o la estructura de desvío asociada con la instalación existiera en agosto de 1998. Las nuevas plantas hidroeléctricas que son elegibles en represas existentes incluyen aquellas que han agregado equipo generador, mejoras de eficiencia a equipos existentes u otros medios de generación, siempre que la capacidad agregada o aumentada:

• fue creado por modificaciones o adiciones a la instalación existente (es decir, modificaciones o adiciones a la presa existente y/o si corresponde, a la central eléctrica existente) y no requirió ni incluyó ninguna presa nueva u otra estructura de desviación;
• did not result in a change in water flow through the facility that worsened conditions for for resources assessed by LIHI criteria (for example, operations did not change from run-of-river* to peaking); and
• did not occur at an existing dam that had been formally recommended for removal or decommissioning by jurisdictional resource agencies and/or federal or state-recognized Tribal Nations may be ineligible for new or continued LIHI certification. “Resource agency and tribal government recommendations” must comply with the requirements that are defined in Appendix A of the LIHI Handbook for that term.  If such a recommendation has been made, the LIHI Governing Board’s Technical Committee will review the recommendation and make an eligibility determination.

Las instalaciones hidroeléctricas en represas o derivaciones que hayan sido reconstruidas en el sitio de represas previamente existentes podrán ser consideradas para certificación caso por caso.

*For LIHI purpose, a facility is operated in a run-of-river mode if the outflow of the facility is within reasonable measurement accuracy (+/- 10 percent) of the inflow to the facility, measured on an hourly basis.

Instalaciones preoperativas

“New” hydropower facilities that are not generating electricity at the time of their certification application (i.e., pre-operational facilities) may be eligible for consideration, provided that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license or exemption, or similar authorization addressing environmental impacts, has been issued and that there are no pending appeals or litigation associated with that authorization. In such cases, the applicant must acknowledge that LIHI may suspend or revoke the certification should the impacts of the facility, once operational, cause non-compliance with the certification criteria. For pre-operational certification, the LIHI Certification term will begin when the new facility begins generation; however annual compliance statements and related condition fees, if applicable, will be required during all years prior to commencement of operations as well as thereafter.  Applicants may be charged a fee premium for pre-operational Certification (see Appendix C of the LIHI Handbook).

Instalaciones no elegibles para la certificación LIHI

Los siguientes tipos de instalaciones hidroeléctricas son no Actualmente elegibles para la certificación LIHI:

• Facilities associated with dams that have been formally recommended for removal or decommissioning by jurisdictional resource agencies and/or federal or state-recognized Tribal Nations may be ineligible for new or continued LIHI certification.  “Resource agency and tribal government recommendations” must comply with the requirements that are defined in Appendix A of the LIHI Handbook for that term.  If such a recommendation has been made, the LIHI Governing Board’s Technical Committee will review the recommendation and make an eligibility determination;
• Hydropower facilities that are located at a dam or diversion that was constructed after August 1998 or that would require construction of a new dam or diversion that does not currently exist;
• Instalaciones hidroeléctricas de almacenamiento por bombeo;
• Instalaciones hidroeléctricas ubicadas fuera de los Estados Unidos; y
• Instalaciones ubicadas en ambientes marinos o que utilizan tecnologías hidrocinéticas.