[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6545-6546]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-02960]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14863-000]


BM Energy Park, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application 
Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and 
Competing Applications

    On November 29, 2017, BM Energy Park, LLC filed an application for 
a preliminary permit, pursuant to section 4(f) of the Federal Power 
Act, proposing to study the feasibility of the Banner Mountain Pumped 
Storage Hydro Project (project) to be located near Casper in Converse 
County, Wyoming. On January 19 and 29, 2018, the application was 
amended with a new project boundary. 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.

[[Page 6546]]

    The proposed project will be closed-loop. Water to initially fill 
the reservoirs will be diverted from Deer Creek via a temporary 
diversion, pump system, and pipeline. Required make-up water will be 
provided from a new well that will be drilled near the lower reservoir. 
The proposed project would consist of upper and lower reservoirs, a 
penstock connecting the two reservoirs, a powerhouse, a transmission 
line, and an access road to each reservoir. Both reservoirs would be 
formed by earthen and/or roller compacted concrete embankments with a 
maximum height of 50-75 feet, and would be lined with impervious 
geotextile or pavement. The lower reservoir would have a storage 
capacity of 4,050 acre-feet at its normal maximum water surface 
elevation of 6,000 feet, and surface area of 80 acres. The upper 
reservoir would have a storage capacity of 4,050 acre-feet at its 
normal maximum water surface elevation of 7,125 feet and surface area 
of 50 acres. Water would be conveyed from the upper reservoir to the 
lower reservoir via a 5,000-foot-long, 18-foot diameter steel-lined 
penstock. The powerhouse would contain three Ternary turbine generator 
units with a total installed capacity of 400 MW. Project power would be 
transmitted through either a new single circuit 230-kilovolt (kV) 
transmission line from the proposed powerhouse 0.4 miles northwest to a 
new substation on the planned Energy Gateway West 500-kV transmission 
line, or via a new 230-kV transmission line running 16 miles north to 
PacifiCorp's Windstar substation.
    The estimated average annual generation of the project would be 
1,300 gigawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contact: Carl Borgquist, President and CEO, BM Energy 
Park, LLC, 209 S. Willson Ave., P.O. Box 309, Bozeman, MT 59771, phone 
(406) 585-3006.
    FERC Contact: Peter McBride, (202) 502-8132, 
[email protected].
    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-14863-000.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the eLibrary link of 
Commission's website at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-14863) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: February 7, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-02960 Filed 2-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P