[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 122 (Monday, June 25, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33671-33672]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-15843]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Bonneville Power Administration


Opportunity for Public Comment Regarding Issues Arising Under 
Bonneville Power Administration's New Large Single Load Policy

AGENCY: Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of policy issue review.

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[[Page 33672]]

SUMMARY: This notice announces an opportunity for public comment on 
three specific issues relating to BPA's existing policy on New Large 
Single Loads (NLSL). BPA's NLSL policy is statutorily based and has 
been developed and refined over the past twenty years, since enactment 
in 1980 of the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and 
Conservation Act (Northwest Power Act), 16 U.S.C. 839. This notice 
limits review to three issues arising under BPA's NLSL policy. These 
issues are: (1) BPA preference customer service to direct service 
industrial (DSI) load; (2) the transfer of ``contracted for, committed 
to'' (CFCT) load determinations between preference customers; and (3) 
whether BPA should close the class of CFCT load served by BPA 
customers.

DATES: Public meeting date: July 10, 2001. Close of comment date: July 
27, 2001.

ADDRESSES: If you are interested in commenting on these New Large 
Single Load Policy issues, you have several options.
    1. You may send written comments to Bonneville Power 
Administration, P.O. Box 12999, Portland, OR 97212, or fax comments to 
(503) 230-3285. If you wish to send your comments electronically, email 
comments to: [email protected]. Comments must be received by close of 
business on July 27, 2001.
    2. You may also attend a public comment meeting that will be held 
in Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday, July 10, 2001, at the Sheraton 
Portland Airport Hotel, 8235 N.E. Airport Way, beginning at 1 p.m. If 
any additional meetings are scheduled, the information will be posted 
on the web site listed below: http://www.bpa.gov/Power/subscription

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryan Crawford, Public Involvement and 
Information Specialist, Bonneville Power Administration, P.O. Box 3621, 
Portland, Oregon 97208, telephone (503) 230-5130. Information can also 
be obtained from your BPA Account Executive.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BPA is directed by section 3(13) of the 
Northwest Power Act to determine whether large retail loads of consumer 
facilities served by a public body, cooperative, investor-owned 
utility, or federal agency customer, whose power requirements increase 
or are in excess of 10 aMWs in any consecutive 12-month period, fall 
within the definition of New Large Single Loads. For purposes of BPA's 
sales of electric power to a utility or Federal agency customer, the 
designation of a consumer's facility as a NLSL does not affect the 
amount or quality of electric service which BPA provides. BPA treats 
these loads as any other load in terms of its supply of power and 
quality of service obligations under its utility power sales contracts. 
Designation of a load as a NLSL, however, does affect the price of the 
electric power sold for service to that load. BPA may not sell electric 
power at the Priority Firm (PF) rate to utilities for service to NLSLs. 
Rather, electric power sold by BPA for utility service to NLSLs is sold 
at the New Resources (NR) rate, which historically has been a higher 
rate than the PF rate.
    There is an exception to the rate treatment for NLSLs. Any load for 
which service by the utility customer was ``committed to or contracted 
for'' prior to September 1, 1979, is served at the lower PF rate. The 
BPA Administrator determines whether a consumer facility is a CFCT load 
and the amount of load that was to be served. The load may be a CFCT 
if, prior to September 1, 1979, the load was being served under a 
contract; the BPA customer had made a contract for future service; or a 
commitment to provide a power supply had been made. This determination 
is based on customer information and documents contemporaneous to the 
September 1, 1979, date.
    The development and implementation of BPA's NLSL policy began with 
BPA's initial long-term (20-year) power sales contracts offered to 
BPA's customers in 1981 in accordance with section 5(g) of the 
Northwest Power Act. BPA has also made several case-by-case decisions 
regarding service to new large single loads. In 1991, BPA published and 
made available to its customers the ``Guide to Bonneville Power 
Administration New Large Single Load Determinations.'' DOE/BP-1370 
(March 1991). The Guide provided background information on the NLSL 
policy, an overview of decisions involved in service to new large 
single loads, and descriptions of the three principal types of BPA 
determinations affecting those loads: (1) CFCT determinations; (2) 
facility determinations; and (3) new large single load determinations. 
In 1993, the Administrator issued a Record of Decision entitled ``New 
Large Single Load Treatment of Utility Service to Direct Service 
Industry Expansions; Initiating a Northwest Power Act Section 5(d)(3) 
Process to Increase Direct Service Industry Contract Demand.''
    BPA's NLSL policy is a combination of contract and policy decisions 
recorded in several documents. Those decisions have been consolidated 
into one document, and it is available on BPA's web site listed below: 
http://www.bpa.gov/Power/subscription
    BPA seeks public comment on only three issues arising under the 
NLSL policy. The first issue is whether BPA should change its NLSL 
policy to allow current and former DSI customer production load served 
at BPA's Industrial Firm (IP) rate, or any other rate, to transfer and 
receive service from a public body, cooperative, or federal agency 
customer at BPA's PF rate. BPA's policy has been that if a DSI takes 
service from a utility for its load, which is or was previously served 
by BPA, then the load would be served by that utility customer as a 
NLSL at the NR rate.
    The second issue is whether a load at a facility that has 
previously been determined a CFCT load should be allowed to receive 
service from a different BPA preference customer and retain its CFCT 
status. BPA's policy has been that a CFCT load is only eligible for PF 
service as a CFCT when served by the preference utility that made the 
contract or commitment before September 1, 1979. Service from a new 
utility provider would cause the load to lose its CFCT status and 
thereby be served at the NR rate if the load is more than 10 aMWs over 
a 12-month period.
    The third issue is whether, after twenty years, BPA should close 
the class of future CFCT loads after providing customers one last 
opportunity to identify and request, if any, a CFCT load determination 
by BPA. Current policy enables BPA to perform a CFCT review based on 
documents contemporaneous to 1979, at any time a utility identifies a 
load it believes may be eligible.
    Responsible Official: Dave Fitzsimmons, Account Executive, Power 
Business Line, is the official responsible for the review of these 
issues arising under BPA's NLSL policy.

    Issued in Portland, Oregon, on June 15, 2001.
Steven G. Hickok,
Chief Operating Officer.
[FR Doc. 01-15843 Filed 6-22-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P