[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 226 (Friday, November 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59358-59359]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25517]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[B-74-2018]


Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) 18--San Jose, California; Notification 
of Proposed Production Activity; Bloom Energy Corporation (Commercial 
Fuel Cells and Related Subassemblies), Sunnyvale and Mountain View, 
California

    The City of San Jose, California, grantee of FTZ 18, submitted a 
notification of proposed production activity to the FTZ Board on behalf 
of Bloom Energy Corporation (Bloom), located at sites in Sunnyvale and 
Mountain View, California. The notification conforming to the 
requirements of the regulations of the FTZ Board (15 CFR 400.22) was 
received on November 15, 2018.
    The Bloom facility is located within Subzone 18I. The facility is 
used for the production of commercial fuel cells and related 
subassemblies. Pursuant to 15 CFR 400.14(b), FTZ activity would be 
limited to the specific foreign-status materials and components and 
specific finished products described in the submitted notification (as 
described below) and subsequently authorized by the FTZ Board.
    Production under FTZ procedures could exempt Bloom from customs 
duty payments on the foreign-status components used in export 
production. On its domestic sales, for the foreign-status materials/
components noted below, Bloom would be able to choose the duty rates 
during customs entry procedures that apply to: Piping manifolds; water 
distribution modules; fuel processing units; fuel cell power modules 
(DC generators); nickel iron alloy fuel cell power module enclosures 
(housings); power inverters; and, energy storage and distribution 
modules (duty rates range from duty-free to 3.8%). Bloom would be able 
to avoid duty on foreign-status components which become scrap/waste. 
Customs duties also could possibly be deferred or reduced on foreign-
status production equipment.
    The components and materials sourced from abroad include: Glass 
powder; ceramic substrates; plastic labels; plastic containers with 
sleeves; plastic enclosure bags; plastic cable ties; rubber grommets; 
adhesives; cardboard boxes; textile paper filters; zirconia alumina 
shaping stones; ceramic heat plating; glass fiber insulation jackets; 
nickel alloy wire probes; alloy steel adapters; stainless steel tubing; 
stainless steel coated tubing; stainless steel

[[Page 59359]]

spacers; stainless steel pipes; stainless steel flanges; stainless 
steel pipe fixtures; stainless steel clamps; stainless steel screws; 
stainless steel washers; stainless steel cable; stainless steel 
spacers; nickel plates; nickel mesh; chromium alloy powder; iron and 
steel flexible tubing with fittings; cooling fans; prototype 
compressors; axial fan motors; fan cable connectors; fan mount rubber 
gaskets; aluminum plate-fin heat exchangers; heat exchange units; water 
filtering machinery; stainless steel weldments; filtering equipment; 
gas filtering canisters; gas filtering canister brackets; hoists; 
aluminum screens with frames; stainless steel valves; solenoid valves; 
inlet/outlet manifolds; housing units for fuel cells; iron/nickel alloy 
and ceramic fuel cell dielectrics; dielectric transformers for 
inverters; transformers 1kVA power handling capacity; power inverters; 
fuel cell control units; rectifier and static converter power cards; 
rectifier and static converter circuit boards; rectifier and static 
converter mounting brackets; mixed alloy rectifier and static converter 
casings; static converters; holding magnets; electric capacitors; 
electric capacitor caps; programmable controllers; printed circuit 
boards; electrical contactors; electrical terminators; electrical 
fuses; printed circuit boards; contactors; electrical controller 
backplanes and handles; multimodal switchboard antennas; multimodal 
switchboard mounting switches; internal frames for multimodal 
switchboards; electrical controllers; diodes; cables for telemetry 
equipment; electrical conductors fitted with connectors; electrical 
conductors for telecommunication; copper electrical conductors; cables 
with fitted connectors; plastic insulating fittings; thermocouples; 
probe wires; electrical thermocouple assemblies; thermocouple assembly 
terminals; gas flow meters; transducers; electricity meters; 
programmable load boxes; fuel cell output (harmonics, temperature and 
luminosity) measuring devices; mass flow controllers; power 
conditioning systems regulating power control in fuel cell; mixed alloy 
interconnecting plates; and, chromium iron interconnect plates (duty 
rates range from duty-free to 8.5%). The request indicates that textile 
paper filters will be admitted to the zone in privileged foreign status 
(19 CFR 146.41), thereby precluding inverted tariff benefits on such 
items. The request also indicates that certain materials/components are 
subject to special duties under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act 
of 1962 (Section 232) and Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Section 
301), depending on the country of origin. The applicable Section 232 
and Section 301 decisions require subject merchandise to be admitted to 
FTZs in privileged foreign status (19 CFR 146.41).
    Public comment is invited from interested parties. Submissions 
shall be addressed to the Board's Executive Secretary at the address 
below. The closing period for their receipt is January 2, 2019.
    A copy of the notification will be available for public inspection 
at the Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, 
Room 21013, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20230-0002, and in the ``Reading Room'' section of the 
Board's website, which is accessible via www.trade.gov/ftz.
    For further information, contact Diane Finver at 
[email protected] or (202) 482-1367.

    Dated: November 16, 2018.
Elizabeth Whiteman,
Acting Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-25517 Filed 11-21-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P