[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 116 (Friday, June 15, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 27981]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12881]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14876-000]


Western Minnesota Municipal Power Authority; Notice of 
Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting 
Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On April 19, 2018, Western Minnesota Municipal Power Authority 
filed an application for a preliminary permit, pursuant to section 4(f) 
of the Federal Power Act (FPA), proposing to study the feasibility of 
the Gregory County Pumped Storage Project to be located on Lake Francis 
Case on the Missouri River, near the township of Lucas, in Gregory, 
Charles Mix, and Brule Counties, South Dakota. 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 would consist of the following: (1) A new 
1,200-acre earthen embankment levee (upper reservoir) having a total 
storage capacity of 50,000 acre-feet with an operating elevation level 
of between 2,045 feet mean sea level (msl) and 2,087 feet msl; (2) a 
new 550-foot-long by 120-foot-wide by 100-foot-high reinforced concrete 
powerhouse containing eight new 150-megawatt (MW) turbine units for a 
total plant rating of 1,200 MW; (3) thirty new 15-foot-wide by 20-foot-
deep reinforced concrete trashracks with an open bar spacing of 3.75 
inches; (4) two new 6,000-foot-long, 32-foot-diameter reinforced 
concrete penstocks; (5) two new 120-foot-high, 40-foot-diameter 
reinforced concrete surge tanks connected to each penstock; (6) the 
existing 102,000-acre Lake Francis Case (lower reservoir) with a 
storage capacity of 5,494,000 acre-feet at normal maximum operation 
elevation of 1,355 feet msl; (7) a new 6,000-foot-long, horse-shoe 
configured tailrace tunnel that daylights to a 350-foot-long tailrace 
channel (upstream of the trashrack) from the powerhouse to Lake Francis 
Case; (8) a new 200-foot by 360-foot substation on top of the 
powerhouse containing four step-up transformers; (9) a new 21-mile-
long, 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission line extending from the project 
substation to the existing Lake Platte substation (the point of 
interconnection); and (10) appurtenant facilities. The estimated annual 
generation of the Gregory County Pumped Storage Project would be 3,500 
gigawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contact: Mr. Raymond J. Wahle, Missouri River Energy 
Services, 3724 W. Avera Drive, P.O. Box 88920, Sioux Falls, SD 57109; 
phone: (605) 330-6963.
    FERC Contact: Tyrone Williams; phone: (202) 502-6331.
    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-14876-000.
    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/elibrary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-14876) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: June 8, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-12881 Filed 6-14-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P