[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 196 (Tuesday, October 11, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70107-70108]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-24471]



[[Page 70107]]

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

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No.: P-12635-002]


Moriah Hydro Corporation; Notice of Application Accepted for 
Filing and Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests

    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.: P-12635-002.
    c. Date filed: February 13, 2015.
    d. Applicant: Moriah Hydro Corporation.
    e. Name of Project: Mineville Energy Storage Project.
    f. Location: The project would be located in an abandoned 
subterranean mine complex \1\ in the town of Moriah, Essex County, New 
York. No federal lands are occupied by project works or located within 
the project boundary.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The existing mine complex is composed of the interconnected 
Old Bed, Bonanza open pit, and Harmony mines.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: James A. Besha, President, Moriah Hydro 
Corporation, c/o Albany Engineering Corporation, 5 Washington Square, 
Albany, New York 12205, (518) 456-7712.
    i. FERC Contact: Chris Millard (202) 502-8256 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests: 60 days 
from the issuance date of this notice.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene and protests using the Commission's eFiling system 
at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. For assistance, please 
contact FERC Online Support at [email protected], (866) 208-
3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic 
filing, please send a paper copy to: Secretary, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. The 
first page of any filing should include docket number P-12635-002.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures require all 
intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of 
that document on each person on the official service list for the 
project. Further, if an intervenor files comments or documents with the 
Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the 
responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve 
a copy of the document on that resource agency.
    k. This application has been accepted for filing, but is not ready 
for environmental analysis at this time.
    l. The proposed project consists of: (1) An upper reservoir located 
within the upper portion of the mine between elevations 495 and 1,095 
feet above mean seal level (msl), with a surface area of 4 acres and a 
storage capacity of 2,448 acre-feet; (2) a lower reservoir in the lower 
portion of the mine between elevations -1,075 and -1,555 feet msl, with 
a surface area of 5.1 acres and a storage capacity of 2,448 acre-feet; 
(3) a 14-foot-diameter and 2,955-foot-long upper reservoir shaft 
connecting the upper reservoir to the high-pressure penstock located 
below the powerhouse chamber floor; (4) a 14-foot-diameter and 2,955-
foot-long lower reservoir shaft connecting the lower reservoir and the 
lower reservoir ventilation tunnel; (5) two 6-foot-diameter emergency 
evacuation shafts located between the powerhouse chamber and the 
electrical equipment chamber; (6) a 25-foot-diameter main shaft 
extending 2,955 feet from the surface down to the powerhouse chamber; 
(7) 15-foot-diameter high- and low-pressure steel penstocks embedded 
beneath the powerhouse chamber floor; (8) a 320-foot-long by 80-foot-
wide powerhouse chamber, containing 100 reversible pump-turbine units, 
each with a nameplate generating capacity of 2.4 megawatts; (9) a 274-
foot-long by 36-foot-wide underground electrical equipment chamber 
adjacent to the powerhouse chamber; (10) an inclined electrical tunnel 
connecting the electrical equipment chamber to a new 115-kilovolt (kV) 
substation constructed adjacent to an existing single circuit 115-kV 
transmission line located about one horizontal mile from the 
underground powerhouse chamber; and (11) appurtenant facilities. The 
project would operate as a closed-loop system to meet energy demands 
and grid control requirements. The project would have an average annual 
generation of 421 gigawatt-hours (GWh). The average pumping power used 
by the project would be 554 GWh.
    m. 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. A copy is also available for inspection and 
reproduction at the address in item h above.
    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. Any qualified applicant desiring to file a competing application 
must submit to the Commission, on or before the specified intervention 
deadline date, a competing development application, or a notice of 
intent to file such an application. Submission of a timely notice of 
intent allows an interested person to file the competing development 
application no later than 120 days after the specified intervention 
deadline date. Applications for preliminary permits will not be 
accepted in response to this notice.
    A notice of intent must specify the exact name, business address, 
and telephone number of the prospective applicant, and must include an 
unequivocal statement of intent to submit a development application. A 
notice of intent must be served on the applicant(s) named in this 
public notice.
    Anyone may submit a protest, or a motion to intervene in accordance 
with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 
385.210, .211, and .214. In determining the appropriate action to take, 
the Commission will consider all protests filed, but only those who 
file a motion to intervene in accordance with the Commission's Rules 
may become a party to the proceeding. Any comments, protests, or 
motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified 
comment date for the particular application.
    When the application is ready for environmental analysis, the 
Commission will issue a public notice requesting comments, 
recommendations, terms and conditions, or prescriptions.
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST'' or ``MOTION TO INTERVENE,'' ``NOTICE OF INTENT TO FILE 
COMPETING APPLICATION,'' or ``COMPETING APPLICATION;'' (2) set forth in 
the heading the name of the applicant and the project number of the 
application to which the filing responds; (3) furnish the name, 
address, and telephone number of the person protesting or intervening; 
and (4) otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 
through 385.2005. Agencies may obtain copies of the application 
directly from the applicant. A copy of any protest or motion to 
intervene must be served upon each representative of

[[Page 70108]]

the applicant specified in the particular application.

    Dated: October 4, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-24471 Filed 10-7-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P