Two companies are exploring hydropower projects for Mississippi River Lock and Dam No. 7 at Dresbach, Minn.

Gunderson Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse wants to construct a 7-turbine system using the dam’s defunct auxiliary lock.

And Massachussetts-based Free Flow Power Corp. is looking into a $30 million 100-turbine system that would generate up to 14.5 megawatts of electricity.

Free Flow Power’s application for a permit to explore the project’s viability was accepted May 14 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, but Gunderson’s is still pending.

Free Flow Power vice president Jason Hines says the company is exploring similar projects on several other Mississippi River locks and dams.