[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 179 (Thursday, September 16, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 55794]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-20889]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


Seminole Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Notice of Finding of No 
Significant Impact

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of finding of no significant impact.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), 
an agency delivering the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural 
Development Utilities Programs, has made a finding of no significant 
impact with respect to a request from Seminole Electric Cooperative for 
financing assistance from RUS to construct a 310 megawatt, simple-cycle 
combustion turbine electric generating facility at its Payne Creek 
Generation Station located in Hardee and Polk Counties, Florida.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Quigel, Engineering and 
Environmental Staff, RUS, Stop 1571, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20250-1571, telephone (202) 720-0468, e-mail 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Seminole Electric Cooperative's proposed 
electric generation project will involve the construction and operation 
of nominal 310 MW of simple-cycle combustion turbine electric 
generating units and associated support facilities at its existing 
1,300-acre Payne Creek Generating Station site in Hardee and Polk 
Counties, Florida. The proposed electric generating facilities will 
consist of five Pratt & Whitney (P&W) FT8-3 Twin Pac aeroderivative 
combustion turbine units. Each Twin Pac unit will consist of two 
simple-cycle combustion turbines coupled with one common electric 
generator with a nominal generating capacity of 62 MW. The proposed 
combustion turbine units and associated substation will be constructed 
in an approximately 8-acre area located adjacent to the east of the 
existing Payne Creek Generating Station units. A small (i.e., 0.15-
acre), isolated freshwater marsh wetland, which will be impacted by 
construction of the proposed project, is present in the southern 
portion of the area.
    The Payne Creek Generating Station site is located approximately 9 
miles northwest of the city of Wauchula, 16 miles south-southwest of 
the city of Bartow, and 40 miles east of the Tampa Bay area. The site 
is bordered on the east by County Road 663, a CSX Railroad line, and 
the CF Industries Hardee Complex phosphate mine.
    The simple-cycle combustion turbines will be fired primarily with 
natural gas via gas pipeline systems which currently provide natural 
gas for the existing Payne Creek Generating Station units. Low-sulfur 
distillate fuel oil will serve as backup fuel. The proposed project 
will require the construction of a new, aboveground, 1.4-million-gallon 
fuel oil storage tank to be located adjacent to the existing 1.4-
million-gallon storage tank within an expanded spill containment area.
    To facilitate interconnection of the proposed project with the 
Florida power grid, the existing 8-mile-long 230 kV transmission line 
extending from the Payne Creek Generating Station site to the Vandolah 
Substation will be upgraded. The line upgrade will consist of replacing 
the existing conductors with higher current-carrying conductors. Also, 
both the associated transmission line terminals and switches will be 
upgraded. These upgrades will not require any additional right-of-way, 
replacement of any transmission line structures, or any expansion of 
the Vandolah substation.
    Copies of the Finding of No Significant Impact are available from 
RUS at the address provided herein or from James Frauen, Seminole 
Electric Cooperative, PO Box 272000, Tampa, Florida 33688-2000, 
telephone (813) 739-1213.

    Dated: September 13, 2004.
James R. Newby,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Electric Program.
[FR Doc. 04-20889 Filed 9-15-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P