[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 20, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 16219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6630]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14328-000]


Cortez Pumped Storage Project; Notice of Preliminary Permit 
Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To 
Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On November 30, 2011, INCA Engineers, Inc., Washington, filed an 
application for a preliminary permit, pursuant to section 4(f) of the 
Federal Power Act (FPA), proposing to study the feasibility of the 
Cortez Pumped Storage Project to be located on Plateau Creek, near the 
town of Dolores, Montezuma County, Colorado. The project affects 
federal lands administered by the Forest Service (San Juan National 
Forest). The sole purpose of a preliminary permit, if issued, is to 
grant the permit holder priority to file a license application during 
the permit term. A preliminary permit does not authorize the permit 
holder to perform any land-disturbing activities or otherwise enter 
upon lands or waters owned by others without the owners' express 
permission.
    The proposed project would consist of the following new facilities: 
(1) An upper reservoir, formed by a 130-foot-high by 6,500-foot-long, 
roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam, with a total storage capacity of 
8,000 acre-feet and a water surface area of 275 acres at full pool 
elevation; (2) a lower reservoir, formed by a 270-foot-high by 800-
foot-long dam, having a total storage capacity of 9,500 acre-feet and a 
water surface area of 200 acres at full pool elevation; (3) two 15-
foot-diameter steel consisting of a surface penstock, a vertical shaft 
and an inclined tunnel; (4) two 27-foot-diameter tailrace tunnels that 
would be 850-feet-long; (5) an underground powerhouse containing two 
reversible pump-turbines totaling 500 megawatts (MW) (2 units x 250 MW 
units) of generating capacity; and (6) a 7-mile-long, 230 kilovolt (kV) 
transmission line that would connect from the switchyard with an 
existing 230 kV interconnection east of the project area. The project's 
annual energy output would vary between 600 and 1,500 gigawatthours.
    Applicant Contact: Mr. Donald Thompson, INCA Engineers, Inc., 400 
112th Ave. NE., Suite 400 Bellevue, WA 98004; phone (425) 653-1000.
    FERC Contact: Brian Csernak; phone: (202) 502-6144.
    Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, competing 
applications (without notices of intent), or notices of intent to file 
competing applications: 60 days from the issuance of this notice. 
Competing applications and notices of intent must meet the requirements 
of 18 CFR 4.36. Comments, motions to intervene, notices of intent, and 
competing applications may be filed electronically via the Internet. 
See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's 
Web site http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can 
submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior 
registration, using the eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You must include your name and contact information 
at the end of your comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online 
Support at [email protected] or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, 
or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. Although the Commission strongly encourages 
electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, 
mail an original and seven copies to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, 
DC 20426.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the ``eLibrary'' link of 
Commission's Web site at  http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-14328-000) in the docket number field to 
access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: March 14, 2012.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-6630 Filed 3-19-12; 8:45 am]
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