[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 201 (Thursday, October 19, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 48716]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22656]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14859-000]


Big Chino Valley Pumped Storage LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit 
Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To 
Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On September 29, 2017, Big Chino Valley Pumped Storage LLC (Big 
Chino) filed an application for a preliminary permit, pursuant to 
section 4(f) of the Federal Power Act, proposing to study the 
feasibility of the Big Chino Valley Pumped Storage Project (project) to 
be located near Chino Valley in Yavapai, Coconino, and Mohave Counties, 
Arizona. The sole purpose of a preliminary permit, if issued, is to 
grant the permit holder priority to file a license application during 
the permit term. A preliminary permit does not authorize the permit 
holder to perform any land-disturbing activities or otherwise enter 
upon lands or waters owned by others without the owners' express 
permission.
    The proposed project will be closed-loop. Water to initially fill 
the reservoirs and required make-up water will be pumped from locally 
available groundwater sources. The proposed project would consist of an 
upper and lower reservoir, a 10.1-mile-long water conveyance system 
connecting the two reservoirs, a powerhouse, and three 500-kV 
transmission lines. A 2,900-foot-long, 360-foot-high rockfill, 
concrete-faced dam would be constructed to form the 50-acre upper 
reservoir, which would have a storage capacity of 19,739-acre-foot at 
an elevation of 6,560 feet. A 2,700-foot-long, 250-foot-high rockfill, 
concrete-faced dam would be constructed to form a 50-acre lower 
reservoir with a storage capacity of 19,811-acre-foot at an elevation 
of 5,294 feet. Water would be conveyed from the upper reservoir to the 
lower reservoir via two upper reservoir inlet/outlets, two vertical 
shafts, two horizontal power tunnels, two penstock manifold tunnels, 
and eight 12-foot-diameter, steel-lined penstocks. The powerhouse would 
contain eight pump-turbine/motor-generator units rated at 250 MW each. 
From the powerhouse, water will discharge into eight, 16-foot diameter 
draft tubes from each unit and then into two, 32-foot-diameter tailrace 
tunnels, which will discharge into the lower reservoir through a lower 
reservoir inlet/outlet structure. Project power would be transmitted 
through a 30-mile-long 500-kilovolt (kV), line traversing northerly to 
interconnect with the existing Arizona Public Service owned- and 
operated Eldorado-Moenkopi 500-kV line or a planned and sited new Dine 
Navajo Transmission Project 500-kV line from Moenkopi to Marketplace; a 
54-mile long 500-kV traversing westerly to interconnect with an 
existing Western Area Power Administration owned and operated 230-kV 
line from Prescott to Peacock that would be upgraded to 500 kV; and a 
47-mile-long 500-kV line traversing easterly to interconnect with two 
Navajo Southern Transmission 500-kV lines owned by participants of the 
Navajo Generating Plant and operated by Arizona Public Service.
    The estimated annual generation of the project would be 4,614 
gigawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contact: Brian Studenka, Director, Grid Development ITC 
Holdings Corp., 27175 Energy Way, Novi, MI 48377, phone (248) 946-3247; 
Andrew M. Jamieson, Counsel--Regulatory & Legislative ITC Holdings 
Corp., 27175 Energy Way, Novi, MI 48377, phone (248) 946-3536; Jay 
Ryan, Baker Botts L.L.P., The Warner--Suite 1000, 1299 Pennsylvania 
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016, phone (202) 639-7789.
    FERC Contact: Kim Nguyen, (202) 502-6105.
    Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, competing 
applications (without notices of intent), or notices of intent to file 
competing applications: 60 days from the issuance of this notice. 
Competing applications and notices of intent must meet the requirements 
of 18 CFR 4.36.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
comments, motions to intervene, notices of intent, and competing 
applications using the Commission's eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can submit brief 
comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the 
eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You 
must include your name and contact information at the end of your 
comments. 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-14859-000.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the eLibrary link of 
Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-14859) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: October 13, 2017.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-22656 Filed 10-18-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P