[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 47 (Thursday, March 9, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12507-12508]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-5642]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


Great River Energy Pleasant Valley Station, Notice of 
Availability of an Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) 
is publishing an environmental assessment (EA) for a project proposed 
by Great River Energy (GRE) of Elk River, Minnesota. The project 
consists of constructing a natural gas-fired simple cycle, combustion 
turbine power generation facility in Pleasant Valley Township in Mower 
County, Minnesota. The project will have a total of three combustion 
turbine units, two 155 megawatts (MW) units and one 124 MW unit, 
including a new 345/161 kV substation and other associated transmission 
facilities. The total electrical output from the facility is expected 
to range from 434 MW to 526 MW depending upon operating conditions. RUS 
proposes to provide financial assistance to GRE for this project.

FOR FUTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nurul Islam, Environmental Protection 
Specialist, Rural Utilities Service, Engineering and Environmental 
Staff, Stop 1571, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-
1571, telephone: (202) 720-1414; e-mail: [email protected]. RUS seeks 
written comments on the GRE proposal. Written comments should be 
submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice to the above 
address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: GRE proposes to construct the power station 
in Pleasant Valley Township in Mower County, Minnesota. The primary 
purpose of the facility is to meet GRE peak electrical load during hot 
summer weather. Under those conditions the facility's expected output 
is about 434 MW of power. The generation unit consists of turbines 
similar to those found in commercial airline engines. The primary fuel 
will be natural gas and the distillate oil will serve as the back up 
fuel for the plant. The three units will have a total peak capacity of 
526 MW. The generating power station will require approximately 24 
acres of land. The preferred site for the generating station is located 
in the northwest quarter of Section 19, Pleasant Valley Township, Mower 
County, Minnesota. An alternative site was considered and is located 
approximately two miles south of the preferred site, in the south of 
the northwest quarter of Section 31, Pleasant Valley Township, Mower 
County, Minnesota. The following additional facilities will also be 
constructed. A 345/161 kV substation will be constructed at the plant 
site. A short, 345 kV transmission tap line, approximately 500 feet 
long, will be needed to connect to an existing Byron-Adams 345-kV 
transmission line. A new 161 kV transmission line, between 5 and 7 
miles long, will be built from the plant site to the Sargeant 
Substation. The existing 69 kV line between the Sargeant Substation and 
south of the City of Brownsdale will be upgraded to a 161/69 kV line. 
This section of the line will be approximately 10 miles long. A 161 kV 
line will be built from Brownsdale to the Austin North Substation in 
Austin, Minnesota. A number of alternative routes have been considered 
for this section of the transmission line. Approximately three miles of 
new high pressure gas pipeline will be built to provide gas supply from 
the proposed generating station north to an existing gas pipeline. The 
expected water use is

[[Page 12508]]

estimated to be approximately 3.1 million gallons per year.
    The EA is available for public review at the headquarters of GRE at 
17845 East Highway 10, Elk River, Minnesota 55330-0800 and the RUS at 
the address provided above in this notice or at the following 
locations:
     Austin Public Library, 323 4th Avenue, NE, Austin, 
Minnesota, telephone (507) 433-2391
     Brownsdale Public Library, Brownsdale Community Building, 
Brownsdale, Minnesota, telephone (507) 567-9951
     Rochester Public Library, 101 2nd Street, SE, Rochester, 
Minnesota, telephone (507) 285-8022
     Sargeant Community Center, Chestnut Avenue, Sargeant, 
Minnesota, telephone (507) 584-6885
    Questions and comments should be sent to RUS at the address 
provided in this notice. RUS will accept questions and comments on the 
EA for 30 days from the date of publication of this notice.
    Any final action by RUS related to the proposed project will be 
subject to, and contingent upon, compliance with all relevant Federal 
environmental laws and regulations and completion of environmental 
review procedures as prescribed by the 7 CFR Part 1794, Environmental 
Policies and Procedures.

    Dated: March 3, 2000.
Mark S. Plank,
Acting Director, Engineering and Environmental Staff.
[FR Doc. 00-5642 Filed 3-8-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P