The Louis Berger Group, Inc., through a Third Party Memorandum of Agreement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Ohio Municipal Electric Generation Agency - Joint Venture 5 (OMEGA-JV5), prepared an Environmental Assessment and other FERC related documents associated with a license amendment application to reroute the project's transmission line. Under the terms of the Third Party Agreement, Berger received its instructions from FERC and its financial compensation for services from the applicant. A major factor in the applicant selecting the third party approach was the critical nature of the schedule. This assignment to Berger's Energy Services Group represents the first use of a third party contractor by FERC’s Division of Project Compliance and Administration, Office of Hydropower Licensing.

The original licensed project included a 12-mile-long, 138-kilovolt (kV) transmission interconnection between the project powerhouse and a substation in West Virginia. Based on an updated assessment of the technical feasibility, environmental considerations, costs, schedule, and local concerns, the applicant decided to file for a non-capacity license amendment that proposed a different route, a 26-mile-long, 138-kV line, crossing the Ohio river upstream of the powerhouse and connecting to a substation in Rutland, Ohio.

Berger assisted FERC in conducting a public scoping process and assessing the proposed transmission line and alternatives, including four alternative alignments in Ohio and West Virginia. Working independently, Berger conducted field reviews of nearly 80 miles of alternative alignments, considered agency and public comments, reviewed the applicant's analyses and conclusions, assessed potential impacts, and developed recommendations regarding mitigation.

Berger was able to complete a draft Environmental Assessment in less than four months because of the firm’s familiarity with FERC licensing procedures and the technical aspects of transmission line siting and construction. Berger met all of FERC’s critical evaluation requirements while maintaining the scheduling requirements of the applicant.