[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 112 (Monday, June 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34371-34372]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-14051]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 13160-004]


Red River Hydro LLC; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing 
With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing 
and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Original Major License.
    b. Project No.: 13160-004.
    c. Date Filed: May 24, 2012.
    d. Applicant: Red River Hydro LLC (Red River), a wholly-owned 
subsidiary of Symbiotics LLC.
    e. Name of Project: Overton Lock and Dam Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The project would be located on the Red River in 
Rapides Parish, Louisiana at an existing lock and dam owned and 
operated by the U.S. Corps of Engineers (Corps). The project would 
occupy 38.7 acres of federal lands managed by the Corps.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Brent L. Smith, Chief Operating Officer, 
Symbiotics LLC, 811 SW. Naito Parkway, Suite 120, Portland, OR 97204; 
Telephone (503) 235-3424.
    i. FERC Contact: Lesley Kordella, (202) 502-6406 or 
[email protected].
    j. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    k. The Project Description: The project would be located at an 
existing lock and dam owned and operated by the Corps-Vicksburg 
District. The existing lock and dam are part of the J. Bennett Johnston 
Waterway, which was authorized by Congress in 1968 to stabilize river 
banks, straighten river bends, and maintain a 9-foot-deep, 200-foot-
wide channel for boat traffic. The waterway consists of five locks and

[[Page 34372]]

dams and a number of cutoffs to shorten the river.
    The existing Overton dam is a concrete gravity structure that is 
104 feet in height and 914 feet in length. The spillway consists of 
five 60-foot-wide Tainter gates. The navigation lock is 84 feet wide by 
685 feet long. The purpose of the lock and dam system is navigation and 
not storage. The upper pool above the dam is commonly referred to as 
``Pool 2''. The Corps maintains the upper pool at an elevation of 64 
feet. Pool 2 has a surface area of approximately 3,750 acres and a 
storage capacity of about 67,500 acre-feet.
    The proposed Overton Lock and Dam Project would consist of: (1) A 
powerhouse located on the southwest bank of the river at the existing 
dam's right abutment; (2) a headrace; (3) a tailrace; (4) a new 
switchyard; (5) 3.9 miles of 138-kilovolt (kV) above-ground 
transmission line; (6) three turbine-generator units for a combined 
installed capacity of 78 megawatts; and (7) appurtenant facilities. The 
projected annual energy generation would be 255.7 gigawatt hours.
    The project would operate in a run-of-release mode by utilizing 
releases from Pool 2 as they are dictated by the Corps, with no 
proposed change to the Corps' facility operation. In addition, no 
changes to the reservoir pool elevations or downstream river flows are 
proposed. The project would generate power using flows between 2,700 
cfs (cubic feet per second) and 49,800 cfs. If flows are less than 
2,700 cfs, all flow would go through the Corps' gates and the project 
would then be offline. When flows are greater than 49,800 cfs, the 
excess flow would be directed through the Corps' gates.
    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 email 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 
preliminary 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 Ready     July 2012
 for Environmental Analysis.
Filing of recommendations, preliminary  September 2012
 terms and conditions, and fishway
 prescriptions.
Commission issues Non-Draft EA........  January 2013
Comments on EA........................  February 2013
Modified terms and conditions.........  April 2013
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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.

    Dated: June 5, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-14051 Filed 6-8-12; 8:45 am]
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