[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 217 (Thursday, November 7, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57661-57662]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-28668]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket Nos. EA-125, EA-130, EA-132]


Applications To Export Electric Energy to Mexico; Federal Energy 
Sales, Inc., Sonat Power Marketing, LP, and Coastal Electric Services 
Company

AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.

AGENCY: Notice of applications.

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SUMMARY: Federal Energy Sales, Inc. (FES), Sonat Power Marketing, LP 
(Sonat), and Coastal Electric Services Company (Coastal) have submitted 
applications to export electric energy to Mexico pursuant to section 
202(e) of the Federal Power Act. The applicants are marketers of 
electric energy. They do not own or control any electric generation or 
transmission facilities.

DATES: Comments, protests or requests to intervene must be submitted on 
or before December 9, 1996.

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 (FAX 202-287-5736).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Russell (Program Office) 202-
586-9624 or Michael 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 (FPA) (16 U.S.C. 
824a(e)).
    The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy (DOE) 
has received applications from the following companies for 
authorization to export electric energy, as power marketers, to Mexico 
pursuant to section 202(e) of the FPA:

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                                       Application                      
              Applicant                    date          Docket No.     
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal Energy Sales.................      10/8/96  EA-125              
Sonat Power Mktg.....................     10/18/96  EA-130              
Coastal Electric Svs.................     10/21/96  EA-132              
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    These power marketing companies do not own or control any 
facilities for the generation or transmission of electricity, nor do 
they have franchised service areas. Rather, these power marketers are 
authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to engage 
in the sale of electricity at wholesale in interstate commerce at 
negotiated rates pursuant to filed rate schedules.
    The electric energy these power marketers propose to transmit to 
Mexico will be purchased from electric utilities and other entities in 
the U.S. and transmitted to Mexico over one or more of the following 
international transmission lines for which Presidential permits (PP) 
have been previously issued:

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                                                                   Presidential                                 
                Owner                         Location                voltage                 Permit No.        
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
San Diego Gas & Elect...............  Miguel, CA.............  230 kV                PP-68.                     
                                      Imperial Valley, CA....  230 kV                PP-79                      
El Paso Electric....................  Diablo, NM.............  115 kV                PP-92.                     
                                      Ascarate, TX...........  115 kV                PP-48.                     
Central Power and Light.............  Brownsville, TX........  138 kV                PP-94.                     
Comision Federal de Electricidad....  Eagle Pass, TX.........  138 kV                PP-50.                     
                                      Laredo, TX.............  138 kV                PP-57.                     
                                      Falcon Dam, TX.........  138 kV                Not required.              
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As noted above, these power marketers propose to export electricity 
to be transmitted to Mexico over lines owned and operated by the El 
Paso Electric Company (EPE) and permitted under Presidential Permits 
Nos. PP-48, as amended, and PP-92. On October 29, 1996, the Secretary 
of Energy signed Delegation Order No. 0204-163, which delegated and 
assigned to the FERC authority to carry out such functions vested in 
the Secretary to regulate access to, and the rates, terms and 
conditions for, transmission services over these facilities. This 
authority was delegated to FERC for the sole purpose of authorizing 
FERC to take any actions necessary to effectuate open access 
transmission over the United States portion of EPE's electric 
transmission lines connecting the Diablo and Ascarate substations in 
the United States with the Insurgentes and Riverena substations in 
Mexico. Notice and a copy of the Delegation Order were published in the 
Federal Register on November 1st at 61 FR 56525.

[[Page 57662]]

Procedural Matters

    Any persons desiring to become parties to these proceedings or be 
heard by filing comments or protests to these applications should file 
petitions to intervene, comments or protests at the address provided 
above in accordance with Secs. 385.211 or 385.214 of the FERC's Rules 
of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214). Fifteen copies of 
such petitions and protests should be filed with the DOE on or before 
the date listed above.
    Comments on FES's request to export to Mexico should be clearly 
marked with Docket EA-125. Additional copies are to be filed directly 
with: Douglas F. John, John, Hengerer & Esposito, 1200 17th Street, NW, 
Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20036 FAX: 202-429-8805 and Scott S. 
Towner, Federal Energy Sales, Inc. 20525 Detroit Road, Suite 2 Rocky 
River, Ohio 44146 (Phone 216-333-7071) (FAX 216-333-7577).
    Comments on Sonat's request to export to Mexico should be clearly 
marked with Docket No. EA-130. Additional copies are to be filed 
directly with: Linda K. Browning, Director-Legal & Regulatory Affairs, 
Sonat Power Marketing L.P., 1900 Fifth Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 
35203-2563 (Phone 205-325-3851) (FAX 205-327-2413).
    Comments on Coastal's request to export to Mexico should be clearly 
marked with Docket EA-132. Additional copies are to be filed directly 
with: James E. Miller, Counsel, Coastal Electric Services Company, Nine 
Greenway Plaza, Houston, Texas 77046 (Phone 713-877-7563) (FAX 713-877-
6714).
    A final decision will be made on these applications after the 
environmental impacts of the proposed actions have been evaluated 
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), and a 
determination is made by the DOE that the proposed action will not 
adversely impact on the reliability of the U.S. electric power supply 
system.
    Copies of these applications will be made available, upon request, 
for public inspection and copying at the address provided above.

    Issued in Washington, DC on November 1, 1996.
Anthony J. Como,
Director, Office of Coal & Electricity, Office of Fuels Programs, 
Office of Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. 96-28668 Filed 11-6-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P