[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 13, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18826-18827]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-8354]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2615-037]


FPL Energy Maine Hydro LLC, Madison Paper Industries, and Merimil 
Limited Partnership; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the 
Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing and 
Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments

April 6, 2010.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection:
    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 2615-037.
    c. Date Filed: March 31, 2010.
    d. Applicant: FPL Energy Maine Hydro LLC, Madison Paper Industries, 
and Merimil Limited Partnership.
    e. Name of Project: Brassua Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located on the Moose River in 
Somerset County, Maine. The project does not affect federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Frank H. Dunlap, FPL Energy Maine Hydro, 
LLC,
    26 Katherine Drive, Hallowell, Maine 04347; Telephone (207) 629-
1817.
    i. FERC Contact: John Costello, (202) 502-6119 or 
[email protected].
    j. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    k. The Project Description: The existing Brassua Project includes: 
(1) A 1,789-foot-long dam consisting of: (a) An earth dike 410 feet 
long with 100 feet of concrete core wall; (b) a concrete-faced earth 
dike 342.5 feet long; (c) a concrete Ambursen dam 284 feet long with a 
height of 52 feet above the stream bed; (d) a 18.5-foot fishway 
(inactive); and (e) a 734-foot earth dike with a concrete core wall; 
(2) a 9,700-acre reservoir (known as Brassua Lake) with a normal pool 
elevation 1,074.0 feet (U.S.G.S. datum) and maximum drawdown of 31 
feet, extending 7.75 miles upstream; (3) a reinforced-concrete intake 
structure; (4) a 110-foot-long, 13-foot square penstock; (5) a 32-foot-
high, 32-foot-wide and 60-foot-long powerhouse; (6) a 4.18-MW 
generating unit; (7) a 40-foot-wide, 15-foot-deep and 60-foot-long 
tailrace; (8) a substation; (9) a 0.5-mile-long, 34.5-kV (kilovolt) 
transmission line; and (10) appurtenant facilities. The earth sections 
of the dam are topped with

[[Page 18827]]

33.5-inch-high wave barriers (Jersey barriers).
    The Brassua Project is operated as a seasonal storage facility 
where water releases are determined by downstream demands for 
hydroelectric generation in the Kennebec River and for flood control. 
Reservoir fluctuations follow an annual cycle under which reservoir 
levels are reduced during the fall and winter to provide additional 
flows downstream as well as to make storage volume available for spring 
snow melt and runoff. After the spring refill, flow is released for the 
Brassua reservoir to provide summer minimum instream flows as well as 
water for industrial and municipal uses. Specific project operation 
requirements are discussed below.
    The current license allows the licensees to operate the Brassua 
Project in peaking mode from July 1st through August 31st and from 
November 6th through the start of spring freshnet (normally mid-May) of 
each year. The licensees are required to cease peaking operation and 
resume normal operation in which flows through the project are 
maintained constant on a daily basis from spring freshet through June 
30th and from September 1st through November 5th of each year.
    The current license requires the licensees to release the following 
minimum flows and maintain the following target water levels to protect 
fish and aquatic habitat and to benefit the reproductive efforts of the 
landlocked salmon population in the Moose River. All Minimum flow 
releases are maintained through the turbine or deep gates and 
discharged in the lower Moose River below the dam.
    l. Locations of the Application: A copy of the application is 
available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or 
may be viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using 
the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three 
digits in the docket number field to access the document. For 
assistance, contact FERC Online Support at [email protected] 
or toll-free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. A copy is 
also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item 
(h) above.
    m. You may also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via e-mail of new filings and 
issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, 
contact FERC Online Support.
    n. Procedural Schedule:
    The application will be processed according to the following Hydro 
Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made as 
appropriate.

 
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             Milestone                           Target Date
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Notice of Acceptance/Notice of      May 30, 2010.
 Ready for Environmental Analysis
 (when FERC approved studies are
 complete).
Filing of recommendations,          July 29, 2010.
 preliminary terms and conditions,
 and fishway prescriptions.
Commission issues EA..............  January 10, 2011.
Comments on EA....................   February 9, 2011.
Modified terms and conditions.....   April 10, 2011.
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    o. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice 
of ready for environmental analysis.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-8354 Filed 4-12-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P