[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 9 (Thursday, January 14, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2476-2477]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-881]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[FE Docket No. PP-197]


Application for Presidential Permit Public Service Company of New 
Mexico

AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of application.

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SUMMARY: Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) has applied for a 
Presidential permit to construct, connect, operate and maintain a 
double-circuit electric transmission line across the U.S. border with 
Mexico. The proposed facilities would originate at the switchyard of 
the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station and extend along one of three 
alternate routes to the U.S.-Mexico border. Depending in part on the 
results of the environmental review performed by the Department of 
Energy, the proposed transmission lines could be either alternating 
current (AC) or direct current (DC).

DATES: Comments, protests, or requests to intervene must be submitted 
on or before February 16, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments, protests, or requests to intervene should be 
addressed as follows: Office of Coal & Power Import and Export (FE-27), 
Office of Fossil Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence 
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585-0350.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Russell (Program Office) 202-
586-9624 or Michael T. Skinker (Program Attorney) 202-586-6667.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The construction, connection, operation, and 
maintenance of facilities at the international border of the United 
States for the transmission of electric energy between the United 
States and a foreign country is prohibited in the absence of a 
Presidential permit issued pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 10485, as 
amended by EO 12038.
    On December 31, 1998, PNM, a regulated public utility, filed an 
application with the Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of 
Energy (DOE) for a Presidential permit. PNM proposes to construct two 
high-voltage transmission circuits within a single right-of-way. Both 
circuits would originate at the switchyard adjacent to the Palo Verde 
Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS) located west of Phoenix, Arizona, 
and extend to the U.S.-Mexico border along one of three, two-mile wide 
corridors preliminarily identified by PNM. From the U.S.-Mexico border, 
the proposed facilities would extend approximately 60 miles into Mexico 
where they would connect with complementary transmission facilities of 
the Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), the national electric 
utility of Mexico, at CFE's existing Santa Ana Substation.
    The two circuits may be constructed as one double-circuit line 
(both circuits connected to the same support structure) or as two 
individual lines (separate support structures for each circuit). The 
proposed in-service date for the facilities is June 2002; however, PNM 
may elect to use a phased approach in installing the two circuits.
    In its application, PNM states that it is considering designing the 
transmission circuits for either AC or DC operation. If the AC option 
is chosen, a back-to-back AC/DC/AC converter station would be 
constructed in the vicinity of the U.S.-Mexico border. The AC 
transmission circuits would be operated at 345,000 volts (345-kV) 
between PVNGS and the back-to-back converter station and at 230-kV 
between the converter station and CFE's Santa Ana Substation. Each of 
these AC transmission circuits would have an electrical transfer 
capability of approximately 400 megawatts (MW).
    If the DC option is selected, an AC/DC converter station will be 
installed at each end of the proposed circuits within or near the PVNGS 
in the U.S. and the Santa Ana Substation in Mexico. If PNM elects to 
use a phased approach, the DC circuits would initially be operated as a 
mono-pole DC line (one conductor) and have a nominal operating voltage 
of  400-kV with an electrical transfer capability of 
between 400 MW and 500 MW. With the addition of the second circuit, 
(second conductor) the resulting interconnection would be upgraded to

[[Page 2477]]

bi-pole  400-kV operation with a transfer capability of 
between 800 MW and 1000 MW.
    PNM is also considering three possible routes for the cross-border 
transmission lines. The first alternative corridor is approximately 130 
miles in length. It starts at the PVNGS switchyard and continues south, 
crossing the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range and the western 
boundary of the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation before terminating in 
Santa Ana, Mexico. The second alternative corridor is approximately 160 
miles long and starts at the PVNGS switchyard. It then proceeds 
slightly east and south, crossing the middle to eastern area of the 
Tohono O'odham Reservation and terminating in Santa Ana, Mexico. The 
third corridor begins at PVNGS and continues southeasterly to an area 
south of Tucson, Arizona, where it would turn south to Nogales, 
Arizona, and continue to Santa Ana, Mexico. This corridor is 
approximately 250 miles long. Although the corridors are approximately 
2 miles in width, when constructed, the transmission facilities are 
expected to utilize a right-of-way of no more than 150 to 200 feet 
wide.
    A final decision on the design technology and routing will be made 
after the completion of the environmental and technical studies by 
regulatory agencies in the U.S. and Mexico. It will depend, in part, on 
the environmental review that DOE will conduct pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA).
    Prior to commencing electricity exports to Mexico using these 
proposed facilities, PNM, or any other electricity exporters, must 
obtain an electricity export authorization required by section 202(e) 
of the Federal Power Act.
    Since the restructuring of the electric power industry began, 
resulting in the introduction of different types of competitive 
entities into the marketplace, DOE has consistently expressed its 
policy that cross-border trade in electric energy should be subject to 
the same principles of comparable open access and non-discrimination 
that apply to transmission in interstate commerce. DOE has stated that 
policy in export authorizations granted to entities requesting 
authority to export over international transmission facilities. 
Specifically, DOE expects transmitting utilities owning border 
facilities constructed pursuant to Presidential permits to provide 
access across the border in accordance with the principles of 
comparable open access and non-discrimination contained in the FPA and 
articulated in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order No. 888, as 
amended (Promoting Wholesale Competition Through Open Access Non-
Discriminatory Transmission Services by Public Utilities). In 
furtherance of this policy, DOE intends to condition any Presidential 
permit issued in this proceeding on compliance with these open access 
principles.

PROCEDURAL MATTERS: Any person desiring to become a party to this 
proceeding or to be heard by filing comments or protests to this 
application should file a petition to intervene, comment or protest 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 each petition and protest 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: Jeffery R. Harris, Public Service 
Company of New Mexico, 414 Silver Avenue, SW, Albuquerque, NM 87103.
    Before a Presidential permit may be issued or amended, the DOE must 
determine that the proposed action will not adversely impact on the 
reliability of the U.S. electric power supply system. In addition, DOE 
must consider the environmental impacts of the proposed action (i.e., 
granting the Presidential permit, with any conditions and limitations, 
or denying the permit) pursuant to NEPA. DOE also must obtain the 
concurrence of the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense 
before taking final action on a Presidential permit application.
    The NEPA compliance process is a cooperative, non-adversarial 
process involving members of the public, state governments and the 
Federal government. The process affords all persons interested in or 
potentially affected by the environmental consequences of a proposed 
action an opportunity to present their views, which will be considered 
in the preparation of the environmental documentation for the proposed 
action. Intervening and becoming a party to this proceeding will not 
create any special status for the petitioner with regard to the NEPA 
process. Notice of upcoming NEPA activities and information on how the 
public can participate in those activities will appear in the Federal 
Register. Additional announcements will appear in local newspapers in 
the vicinity of the proposed transmission line. To apply for the NEPA 
mailing list now, contact Mrs. Ellen Russell at the address above.
    Copies of this application will be made available, upon request, 
for public inspection and copying at the address provided above. In 
addition, the application may be reviewed or downloaded from the Fossil 
Energy Home Page at: http://www.fe.doe.gov. Upon reaching the Fossil 
Energy Home page, select ``Regulatory'' and then ``Electricity'' from 
the options menu.

    Issued in Washington, D.C., on January 11, 1999.
Anthony J. Como,
Manager, Electric Power Regulation, Office of Coal & Power Im/Ex, 
Office of Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. 99-881 Filed 1-13-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P