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rPlus Energies outlines pump test timeline and rates for White Pine pumped-storage project
Summary
rPlus Energies told the McGill Town Council it will run a two-phase aquifer pump test for the White Pine Pumped Storage Hydro project with pumping ramped from about 100 to 250 gallons per minute and a 72‑hour constant-rate test; dirt work and drilling are scheduled for late summer and fall 2026.
Riannon Scanlon of rPlus Energies updated the McGill Town Council on plans for an aquifer pump test tied to the White Pine Pumped Storage Hydro project, giving target schedules and test parameters. She said the team will use three wells — one test well and two monitoring wells — and run a two‑phase test: an initial step (calibration) test followed by a 72‑hour constant‑rate test.
"The pump test will start at about 100 gallons per minute and will be ramped up throughout the test to a maximum of 250 gallons per minute," Scanlon said, adding that the constant‑rate portion will occur after the aquifer has had time to recover so the team can evaluate drawdown. She said a hydrogeologist will be on site during drilling and testing. Dirt work is scheduled for Aug. 24–Sept. 15, 2026, drilling to begin Sept. 16, 2026, with the monitoring wells and pump test activities beginning Oct. 31, 2026. Scanlon said rPlus expects the hydrologic analysis to take several months and aims to submit a final report to the Bureau of Land Management in early January 2027 and to FERC by the end of January 2027.
Scanlon invited council members to visit the site once activities begin and said rPlus would provide transportation and email updates. During final public comment, a resident expressed "major concerns regarding the rPlus presentation and the testing," a statement the council did not act on during this meeting.
The update did not include environmental findings or permit decisions; Scanlon said the FERC submission would signal readiness to begin the environmental review process but did not provide a timeline for that review. The council did not take a formal vote related to the pump test at this meeting.
