[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 90 (Wednesday, May 11, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-11429]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 11, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[FE Docket No. ES-98]

 

Application for Authorization to Export Electricity; Western 
Systems Power Pool

agency: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.

action: Notice of application.

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summary: The Western Systems Power Pool (WSPP) has requested 
authorization to export electric energy to Canada. The application has 
been filed on behalf of most jurisdictional members of WSPP.

dates: Comments, protests or requests to intervene must be submitted on 
or before July 11, 1994.

addresses: Comments, protests or requests to intervene should be 
addressed as follows: Office of Coal & Electricity (FE-52), Office of 
Fuels Programs, Office of Fossil Energy, Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585.

for further information contact: Ellen Russell (Program Officer) 202-
586-9624 or Mike Skinker (Program Attorney) 202-586-6667.

supplementary information: Exports of electricity from the United 
States to a foreign country are regulated and require authorization 
under section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act.
    On December 3, 1993, as amended March 17, 1994, the Western Systems 
Power Pool (WSPP or the Pool) filed an application with the Office of 
Fossil Energy (FE) for authorization to export electric energy to 
Canada pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act. 
Specifically, WSPP was applied for authorization to transmit electric 
energy to a foreign member of the Pool, British Columbia Hydro and 
Power Authority (BC Hydro), and other future Canadian members. The 
Pool's public utility members participating in this application are:

Arizona Public Service Company
Central and South West Services, Inc.
Central Louisiana Electric Company
Idaho Power Company
Kansas City Power and Light Company
Montana Power Company
Nevada Power Company
Oklahoma Electric Company
Pacific Gas & Electric Company
PacificCorp
Public Service Company of Colorado
Public Service Company of New Mexico
Public Service Company of Oklahoma
Pudget Sound Power & Light Company
Sierra Pacific Power Company
Southern California Edison Company
Southwestern Public Service Company
Tuscon Electric Power Company
UtiliCorp United Inc. (West Plains Energy)
Washington Water Power Company
Western Resources, Inc

(San Diego Gas & Electric and Portland General Electric Company were 
among the applicant companies when WSPP applied to Fe. Both companies, 
by letter to FE, subsequently withdrew from the WSPP application and 
were individually issued electricity export authorizations in Docket 
Numbers EA-100 and EA-97.)
    By this joint application, each of the participating Pool members 
seek an export authorization allowing them to enter into transactions 
with BC Hydro which involve the exportation of electricity from the 
United States. All such transactions would be pursuant to the terms and 
conditions of the WSPP's pooling Agreement and service schedules 
approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
    The WSPP Agreement effects a marketing arrangement pursuant to 
which the members provide among themselves prescheduled and realtime 
coordinated short-term power and energy transactions. The Agreement 
also sets forth the limitations and parameters affecting all WSPP 
transactions.
    The WSPP Agreement contains four service schedules approved by and 
on file with FERC. All WSPP transactions are conducted voluntarily 
among members pursuant to the terms of the service schedules. The 
transactions are wholesale in nature, involving no retail sales. 
Specifically, the schedules provide for (1) Economy Energy Service, (2) 
Unit Commitment Service, (3) Firm System Capacity/Energy Sales or 
Exchanges, and (4) Transmission Service. Significantly, all 
transactions among WSPP members must be no more than one year in 
duration. Also, all transmission services are voluntary.
    The WSPP Agreement is not intended to relegate the members to a 
``traditional power pool'' arrangement. The Agreement does not work to 
supersede any of the contractual relationships of any of the members, 
and its does not preclude any of the members from entering into future 
contractual relationships. In the WSPP application, WSPP asserts that, 
in essence, the WSPP is intended to be superimposed on top of its 
members' other contractual relationships and thereby serve to capture 
economic benefits which are not already realized under those existing 
agreements. Because of its purpose as a supplemental agreement to 
facilitate the sale of short-term excess capacity and energy, 
transactions under the WSPP agreement involve the use of only existing 
facilities and do not require the construction of new facilities.
    The electric energy to be exported will be delivered by BC Hydro 
over the international transmission facilities owned and operated by 
the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The construction, 
connection, operation, and maintenance of these facilities has been 
authorized by Presidential permits issued pursuant to Executive Order 
10485, as amended by Executive Order 12038. These facilities consist of 
three electric transmission lines that interconnect with facilities of 
BC Hydro: Two 500-kilovolt (kV) lines located at Blaine, Washington, 
(Presidential Permit PP-10) and one 230-kV line at Nelway, British 
Columbia (Presidential Permit PP-46). In addition, BPA's 230-kV 
transmission line that connects to West Kootenay Power and Light 
Company, Limited, also at Nelway, British Columbia, will be used 
(Presidential Permit PP-36).
    Procedural Matters: Any person desiring to be heard or to protest 
this application should file a petition to intervene or protest at the 
address provided above in accordance with Secs. 385.211 or 385.214 of 
the Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214).
    Any such petitions and protests should be filed with the DOE on or 
before the date listed above. Additional copies of such petitions to 
intervene or protests also should be filed directly with: Michael E. 
Small, Wright & Talisman, suite 600, 1200 G Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20005-3802.
    Pursuant to 18 CFR 385.211, protests and comments will be 
considered by the DOE in determining the appropriate action to be 
taken, but will not serve to make protestants parties to the 
proceeding. Any person wishing to become a party must file a petition 
to intervene under 18 CFR 385.214. Section 385.214 requires that a 
petition to intervene must state, to the extent known, the position 
taken by the petitioner and the petitioner's interest in sufficient 
factual detail to demonstrate either that the petitioner has a right to 
participate because it is a State Commission; that it has or represents 
an interest which may be directly affected by the outcome of the 
proceeding, including any interest as a consumer, customer, competitor, 
or a security holder of a party to the proceeding; or that the 
petitioner's participation is in the public interest.
    A final decision will be made on this application after a 
determination is made by the DOE that the proposed action will not 
impair the sufficiency of electric supply within the United States or 
will not impede or tend to impede the coordination in the public 
interest of facilities in accordance with section 202(e) of the Federal 
Power Act. The final decision would be issued to the individual members 
of WSPP and not to the Power Pool itself.
    Before an export authorization may be issued, the environmental 
impacts of the proposed DOE action (i.e., granting the export 
authorization, with any conditions and limitations, or denying it) must 
be evaluated pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
    Copies of this application will be made available, upon request, 
for public inspection and copying at the address provided above.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 2, 1994.
Anthony J. Como,
Director, Office of Coal & Electricity, Office of Fuels Programs, 
Office of Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. 94-11429 Filed 5-10-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-M