[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 21, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50490-50492]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-20424]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 6597-013]


Notice of Application Tendered for Filing with the Commission and 
Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing and Deadline for 
Submission of Final Amendments; Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc.

    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.: 6597-013.
    c. Date Filed: July 31, 2012.
    d. Applicant: Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc.
    e. Name of Project: Monadnock Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located on the Contoocook 
River in the towns of Peterborough, Greenfield, Hancock, and Bennington 
in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. 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: Michelle Hamm, Manager, Environmental 
Services, Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc.; Antrim Road, P.O. Box 339, 
Bennington, NH 03442; (603) 588-3311 or [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Samantha Davidson, (202) 502-6839 or 
[email protected].

[[Page 50491]]

    j. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    k. The Project Description:
    The existing Monadnock Hydroelectric Project consists of four 
developments, three of which have generating facilities, with a 
combined installed capacity of 1,889 kilowatts (kW). The project 
produces an average annual generation of 6,100 megawatt-hours. All 
power generated by the Monadnock Project is used by Monadnock Paper 
Mill, Inc.'s (MPM) paper production facility. The four developments, 
from upstream to downstream, are described below.

Powder Mill Development

    The existing Powder Mill Development is located at river mile 46.08 
of the Contoocook River and consists of: (1) A 366-foot-long, 18.6-
foot-high dam consisting of a gated 228-foot-long concrete gravity 
spillway with a crest elevation of 675.44 feet National Geodetic 
Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD) and 2-foot-high seasonal flashboards, an 
approximately 91-foot-long earth embankment with a concrete core wall 
on the north side of the spillway, and an approximately 47-foot-long 
earth embankment with a concrete core wall on the south side of the 
spillway; (2) a 4-foot-wide sluiceway on the north side of the 
spillway; (3) a 35-foot-long, 15-foot-wide regulating gatehouse 
structure with a 4-foot-diameter outlet pipe on the south side of the 
spillway; (4) a 435-acre impoundment with a storage capacity of 1,940 
acre-feet and a normal maximum elevation of 677.44 feet NGVD; and (5) 
appurtenant facilities.

Monadnock Development

    The existing Monadnock Development is located 4,200 feet downstream 
of Powder Mill Dam and consists of: (1) An approximately 515-foot-long, 
22-foot-high dam consisting of a 165-foot-long concrete spillway with a 
crest elevation of 663.8 feet NGVD and 2-foot-high seasonal 
flashboards, a 75-foot-long earth embankment with a concrete core wall 
on the west side of the spillway, a 50-foot-long concrete non-overflow 
section, a 25-foot-long earth embankment with a concrete core wall, and 
a 200-foot-long earthen embankment on the east side of the spillway; 
(2) a 5-acre impoundment with a storage capacity of 240 acre-feet and a 
normal maximum elevation of 665.8 feet NGVD; (3) a 75-foot-long, 20-
foot-wide powerhouse on the west side of the spillway containing two 
turbine-generating units for a total installed capacity of 423 kW; (4) 
two 20 to 25-foot-long, 2.3-kV generator leads; (5) a 100-foot-long 
tailrace; and (6) appurtenant facilities.

Pierce Development

    The existing Pierce Development is located 900 feet downstream of 
the Monadnock Dam and consists of: (1) The 420-foot-long, 28-foot-high 
dam consisting of a 290-foot-long concrete spillway with a crest 
elevation of 651.4 feet NGVD and 2-foot-high seasonal flashboards; (2) 
a 7-acre impoundment with a storage capacity of 51-acre-feet and a 
normal maximum elevation of 653.4 feet NGVD; (3) a 25-foot-long, 35-
foot-wide powerhouse on the east side of the spillway containing two 
turbine-generating units for a total installed capacity of 770 kW; (4) 
two 15 to 25-foot-long, 2.3-kV generator leads; (5) a 600-foot-long 
tailrace; and (6) appurtenant facilities.

Paper Mill Development

    The existing Paper Mill Development is located 1,140 feet 
downstream of the Pierce Dam and consists of: (1) The 280-foot-long, 
19-foot-high dam consisting of a 142-foot-long concrete gravity 
spillway with a crest elevation of 625.6 feet NGVD and 2-foot-high 
seasonal flashboards; (2) a 5-acre impoundment with a storage capacity 
of 25-acre-feet and a normal maximum elevation of 627.6 feet NGVD; (3) 
a 300-foot-long power canal and headgate structure leading to a 
forebay; (4) an intake structure and a 10-foot-diameter, 200-foot-long 
steel penstock; (5) a generating room located on the lower level of 
MPM's paper mill facility containing a 746-kW turbine generating unit; 
(6) a 150-foot-long, 2.3-kV generator lead; (7) a 800-foot-long 
tailrace; and (8) appurtenant facilities.
    The project also consists of a 2,190-foot-long, 2.3-kV overhead 
transmission line interconnecting the generator leads to a 200-foot-
long, 23-kV supply bus at MPM's paper mill facility.
    The Powder Mill Development operates in a seasonal store and 
release mode to meet downstream demand for hydroelectric generation at 
MPM's paper mill facility and instream flow requirements, while the 
Monadnock, Pierce, and Paper Mill developments operate in a run-of-
river mode. The existing license requires an instantaneous minimum flow 
of 13 cubic feet per second (cfs) (or inflow, whichever is less), in 
the Powder Mill, Monadnock, and Pierce tailraces; and an instantaneous 
minimum flow of 70 cfs (or the inflow, whichever is less), in the Paper 
Mill tailrace. MPM proposes to continue operating the project according 
to the existing minimum flow requirements and restrict the impoundment 
level at the Powder Mill Development to a maximum drawdown of 3 feet 
(between elevations 675.44 and 672.44 feet NGVD).
    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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Milestone                           Target date
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Notice of Acceptance/Notice of Ready    September 2012.
 for Environmental Analysis (when FERC
 approved studies are complete).
Filing of recommendations, preliminary  November 2012.
 terms and conditions, and fishway
 prescriptions.
Commission issues Non-Draft EA........  March 2013.
Comments on EA........................  April 2013.
Modified terms and conditions.........  June 2013.
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[[Page 50492]]

    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: August 14, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-20424 Filed 8-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P