[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 65 (Thursday, April 6, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16828-16830]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-06860]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Southeastern Power Administration


Proposed Rate Adjustment, Public Forum, and Opportunities for 
Public Review and Comment for Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina System of 
Projects

AGENCY: Southeastern Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rate.

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SUMMARY: Southeastern Power Administration (Southeastern) proposes to 
revise existing schedules of rates and charges applicable to the sale 
of power from the Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina System of Projects 
effective for a 5-year period, October 1, 2017, through September 30, 
2022. Additionally, opportunities will be available for interested 
persons to review the present rates and the proposed rates and 
supporting studies, to participate in a public forum and to submit 
written comments. Southeastern will evaluate all comments received in 
this process.

DATES: Written comments are due on or before July 5, 2017. A public 
information and comment forum will be held in Savannah, Georgia, at 
2:30 p.m. on May 9, 2017. Persons desiring to attend the forum should 
notify Southeastern by May 2, 2017, so that a list of forum 
participants can be prepared. Persons desiring to speak at the forum 
should specify this in their notification to Southeastern; others may 
speak if time permits. If Southeastern has not been notified by close 
of business on May 2, 2017, that at least one person intends to be 
present at the forum, the forum may be canceled with no further notice.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Administrator, 
Southeastern Power Administration, Department of Energy, 1166 Athens 
Tech Road, Elberton, Georgia, 30635-6711. The public information and 
comment forum for the Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina System of Projects 
will be at the DoubleTree Hotel Savannah Historic District, 411 West 
Bay Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401, Phone: (912) 790-7000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Virgil Hobbs, Assistant Administrator, 
Finance & Marketing, Southeastern Power Administration, Department of 
Energy, 1166 Athens Tech Road, Elberton, Georgia 30635, (706) 213-3838.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(FERC) confirmed and approved on a final basis Wholesale Power Rate 
Schedules SOCO-1-E, SOCO-2-E, SOCO-3-E, SOCO-4-E, ALA-1-N, MISS-1-N, 
Duke-1-E, Duke-2-E, Duke-3-E, Duke-4-E, Santee-1-E, Santee-2-E, Santee-
3-E, Santee-4-E, SCE&G-1-E, SCE&G-2-E, SCE&G-3-E, SCE&G-4-E, Pump-1-A, 
Pump-2, Regulation-1, and Replacement-1 applicable to Georgia-Alabama-
South Carolina System of Projects' power for a period ending September 
30, 2017. (143 FERC ] 62,002; Apr. 2, 2013).
    Discussion: The Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina System (System) 
consists of ten projects in or on the border of the states of Georgia, 
Alabama, and South Carolina. The power generated at these projects is 
sold to 170 preference entities serving 203 preference customers in 
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and North 
Carolina. The System provides 2,184,232 kilowatts of capacity and about 
3,381,000 MWh of average annual energy from stream-flow based on 
modeling for the period of record.
    Existing rate schedules are predicated upon a July 2012 repayment 
study and other supporting data. A repayment study prepared in February 
of 2017 shows that existing rates meet repayment criteria and would 
generate a large surplus.
    The revised repayment study shows that a revenue reduction of 
$18,991,000 in Fiscal Year 2018 and all future years over the current 
repayment study will result in all costs being repaid within the term 
of these rate schedules or their service life. The revenue requirement 
is $200,000,000 per year. Southeastern is proposing to revise the 
existing rate schedules to generate this revenue. The rate adjustment 
reduces the Revenue Requirement by about nine percent (9%). To collect 
this reduced revenue requirement, rates for capacity have been reduced 
by fifteen percent (15%). The current energy rate will be extended.
    This rate reduction is due to capitalized deficits that were unpaid 
in 2012 being recovered, and required payments due in the last five 
years being met.\1\ Southeastern is proposing

[[Page 16829]]

the following rate schedules to be effective for the period from 
October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2022.
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    \1\ In 2012, Southeastern had large repayment obligations on two 
system projects as well as outstanding capitalized deferred 
expenses. These have all been repaid in the term of the current rate 
schedule.
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Rate Schedule SOCO-1-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in Georgia, Alabama, 
Mississippi, and Florida to whom power may be wheeled and scheduled 
pursuant to contracts between the Government and Southern Company 
Services, Inc.

Rate Schedule SOCO-2-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in Georgia, Alabama, 
Mississippi, and Florida to whom power may be wheeled pursuant to 
contracts between the Government and Southern Company Services, Inc. 
The customer is responsible for providing a scheduling arrangement with 
the Government.

Rate Schedule SOCO-3-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in Georgia, Alabama, 
Mississippi, and Florida to whom power may be scheduled pursuant to 
contracts between the Government and Southern Company Services, Inc. 
The customer is responsible for providing a transmission arrangement.

Rate Schedule SOCO-4-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in Georgia, Alabama, 
Mississippi, and Florida served through the transmission facilities of 
Southern Company Services, Inc. The customer is responsible for 
providing a scheduling arrangement with the Government and for 
providing a transmission arrangement.

Rate Schedule ALA-1-O

    Available to PowerSouth Energy Cooperative.

Rate Schedule Duke-1-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in North Carolina and 
South Carolina to whom power may be wheeled and scheduled pursuant to 
contracts between the Government and Duke Energy Carolinas.

Rate Schedule Duke-2-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in North Carolina and 
South Carolina to whom power may be wheeled pursuant to contracts 
between the Government and Duke Energy Carolinas. The customer is 
responsible for providing a scheduling arrangement with the Government.

Rate Schedule Duke-3-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in North Carolina and 
South Carolina to whom power may be scheduled pursuant to contracts 
between the Government and Duke Energy Carolinas. The customer is 
responsible for providing a transmission arrangement.

Rate Schedule Duke-4-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in North Carolina and 
South Carolina served through the transmission facilities of Duke 
Energy Carolinas. The customer is responsible for providing a 
scheduling arrangement with the Government and for providing a 
transmission arrangement.

Rate Schedule Santee-1-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina to 
whom power may be wheeled and scheduled pursuant to contracts between 
the Government and South Carolina Public Service Authority.

Rate Schedule Santee-2-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina to 
whom power may be wheeled pursuant to contracts between the Government 
and South Carolina Public Service Authority. The customer is 
responsible for providing a scheduling arrangement with the Government.

Rate Schedule Santee-3-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina to 
whom power may be scheduled pursuant to contracts between the 
Government and South Carolina Public Service Authority. The customer is 
responsible for providing a transmission arrangement.

Rate Schedule Santee-4-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina 
served through the transmission facilities of South Carolina Public 
Service Authority. The customer is responsible for providing a 
scheduling arrangement with the Government and for providing a 
transmission arrangement.

Rate Schedule SCE&G-1-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina to 
whom power may be wheeled and scheduled pursuant to contracts between 
the Government and South Carolina Electric & Gas Company.

Rate Schedule SCE&G-2-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina to 
whom power may be wheeled pursuant to contracts between the Government 
and South Carolina Electric & Gas Company. The customer is responsible 
for providing a scheduling arrangement with the Government.

Rate Schedule SCE&G-3-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina to 
whom power may be scheduled pursuant to contracts between the 
Government and South Carolina Electric & Gas Company. The customer is 
responsible for providing a transmission arrangement.

Rate Schedule SCE&G-4-F

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina 
served through the transmission facilities of South Carolina Electric & 
Gas Company. The customer is responsible for providing a scheduling 
arrangement with the Government and for providing a transmission 
arrangement.

Rate Schedule Pump-1-A

    Available to all customers of the Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina 
System and applicable to energy from pumping operations at the Carters 
and Richard B. Russell Projects.

Rate Schedule Replacement-1

    Available to all customers in the Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina 
System and applicable to replacement energy.
    The proposed rates for capacity, energy, and generation services 
are as follows:

Capacity $4.09 per kW per month
Energy 12.33 mills per kWh
Generation Services $0.12 per kW per month

    Under this scenario, 75 percent of generation revenues are 
recovered from capacity sales and 25 percent are recovered from energy 
sales. These rates are expected to produce an average revenue of 
$200,119,000 in FY 2018, $200,030,000 in FY 2019, and $200,011,000 in 
FY 2020 and all future years. The change in revenue for FY 2018 to FY 
2020 is due to changing transmission arrangements.
    The rates for transmission, scheduling, reactive supply, and 
regulation and frequency response apply to all four scenarios and are 
illustrated in Table 1.

[[Page 16830]]



 Southeastern Power Administration Proposed Rates for Transmission Scheduling, Reactive, and Regulation Charges
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                                                   Transmission     Scheduling       Reactive       Regulation
                  Rate schedule                    charge $/kW/    charge $/kW/    charge $/kW/    charge $/kW/
                                                       month           month           month           month
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SOCO-1-F........................................            3.54          0.0806            0.11          0.0483
SOCO-2-F........................................            3.54  ..............            0.11  ..............
SOCO-3-F........................................  ..............          0.0806  ..............          0.0483
SOCO-4-F........................................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
ALA-1-O.........................................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
Duke-1-F........................................            1.36  ..............  ..............  ..............
Duke-2-F........................................            1.36  ..............  ..............  ..............
Duke-3-F........................................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
Duke-4-F........................................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
Santee-1-F......................................            1.86  ..............  ..............  ..............
Santee-2-F......................................            1.86  ..............  ..............  ..............
Santee-3-F......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
Santee-4-F......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
SCE&G-1-F.......................................            2.86  ..............  ..............  ..............
SCE&G-2-F.......................................            2.86  ..............  ..............  ..............
SCE&G-3-F.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
SCE&G-4-F.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
Pump-1-A........................................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
Replacement-1...................................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
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    The referenced repayment studies are available for examination at 
1166 Athens Tech Road, Elberton, Georgia 30635-6711. Proposed Rate 
Schedules SOCO-1-F, SOCO-2-F, SOCO-3-F, SOCO-4-F, ALA-1-O, Duke-1-F, 
Duke-2-F, Duke-3-F, Duke-4-F, Santee-1-F, Santee-2-F, Santee-3-F, 
Santee-4-F, SCE&G-1-F, SCE&G-2-F, SCE&G-3-F, SCE&G-4-F, Pump-1-A, and 
Replacement-1 are also available.

    Dated: March 9, 2017.
Kenneth E. Legg,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2017-06860 Filed 4-5-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P