[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 245 (Friday, December 20, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77112-77113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-30321]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2280-018]


FirstEnergy Generation, 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: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: P-2280-018.
    c. Date Filed: December 2, 2013.
    d. Applicant: FirstEnergy Generation, LLC.
    e. Name of Project: Kinzua Pumped Storage Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located on the United States 
Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Kinzua Dam, and the United States 
Forest Service (Forest Service) Allegheny National Forest, adjacent to 
the Allegheny River and the Allegheny Reservoir near the City of 
Warren, in Warren County, Pennsylvania. The project occupies 221.59 
acres of federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Morgan E. Parke, Associate General Counsel, 
FirstEnergy Service Company, 76 South Main Street, Akron, OH 44308; 
Telephone (330) 384-4595.
    i. FERC Contact: Gaylord Hoisington, (202) 502-6032 or 
[email protected].
    j. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    k. The existing Kinzua Pumped Storage Project pumps water from the 
Corps' Allegheny Reservoir (lower reservoir) to the project's upper 
reservoir to be used for power generation. The project has an installed 
capacity of 451.8 megawatts. The project

[[Page 77113]]

produces an average annual generation of 559.06 gigawatthours (GWh). 
The average pumping power used by the project is 747.355 GWh.
    The existing Kinzua Project consists of: an intake/outlet structure 
in the Allegheny Reservoir, a discharge outlet in the Allegheny River, 
an upper reservoir, water conduits, control facilities and a powerhouse 
containing two reversible pump turbines (units 1 and 2) and one 
traditional generating unit (unit 3). Unit 1 and 2, when pumping water 
from or discharging water to the Allegheny Reservoir does so through 
two 418-foot-long, 15-foot-diameter steel conduits. Unit 2 discharges 
to the Allegheny River downstream of the dam, it uses a discharge 
passage which is shared with unit 3. The intake structure located in 
the floor of the upper reservoir leads to a 22-foot-long, 4-inch-
diameter pipe that transitions to a 21-foot-long, 6-inch-diameter 
steel-lined pipe for 2,500 feet where it bifurcates with one pipe 
extending 325.35 feet to unit 1 and the other pipe extending 245.95 
feet where it bifurcates again. At the second bifurcation, one pipe 
extends 98.29 feet to unit 2 and 100.3 feet to unit 3. Each of the 3 
penstocks contains a spherical valve near the entrance to each unit. 
The discharge passage for unit 2 consists of a 15-foot-diameter 
butterfly valve downstream of unit 2 to allow unit 2 to either generate 
into the discharge passage (open position) or pump/generate to the 
Allegheny Reservoir (closed position). This valve opens into a 15-foot-
diameter steel discharge section tee and accepts water from both unit 2 
and 3, up to 2,650 cubic feet per second (cfs) full gate capacity. The 
discharge tee transitions to a concrete-lined rectangular section 99 
feet wide which outlets into the Allegheny River downstream of the 
Kinzua Dam.
    The project withdraws water from the Allegheny Reservoir, created 
by the Kinzua Dam. Water used for electricity production is pumped from 
the Allegheny Reservoir to the project's upper reservoir using one or 
both reversible pump turbines (unit 1 and/or unit 2), and later passed 
through unit 1 and/or unit 2 back to the Allegheny Reservoir. Another 
portion of water used for electricity production can be pumped to the 
upper reservoir using unit 1 and/or unit 2, and then released directly 
into the Allegheny River using unit 2 and/or unit 3. FirstEnergy is 
proposing to operate unit 2 to discharge to the Allegheny River on a 
more frequent basis than under current operation. To facilitate these 
operations, FirstEnergy proposes to install a system to automate 
operation of the project's lower intake bulkheads and Corp's sluice 
gates, and refurbish the unit 2 butterfly valve.
    Other project works include transformers, a transmission line 
approximately 3,100 feet long, access roads, recreational and other 
appurtenant facilities.
    FirstEnergy is proposing to raise the maximum operating level of 
the upper reservoir from 2,072 feet to 2,073 feet, (increase of 1 
foot), and by doing so would increase the average annual generation 
from 559.06 GWh to 585.06 GWh.
    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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Target
                         Milestone                               date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notice of Acceptance/Notice of Ready for Environmental         1/31/2014
 Analysis..................................................
Filing of recommendations, preliminary terms and                4/1/2014
 conditions, and fishway prescriptions.....................
Commission issues Draft EA.................................    9/28/2014
Comments on Draft EA.......................................   10/28/2014
Modified Terms and Conditions..............................   12/27/2014
Commission Issues Final EA.................................    3/27/2015
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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: December 16, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-30321 Filed 12-19-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P