[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 42 (Monday, March 4, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7354-7356]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-03763]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2413-124]


Georgia Power Company Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, 
Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental 
Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Preliminary Terms 
and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 2413-124.
    c. Date filed: May 31, 2018.
    d. Applicant: Georgia Power Company (Georgia Power).
    e. Name of Project: Wallace Dam Pumped Storage Project (Wallace Dam 
Project).
    f. Location: The existing project is located on the Oconee River, 
in Hancock, Putnam, Green, and Morgan Counties, Georgia. The project 
occupies about 493.7 acres of federal land administered by the U.S. 
Forest Service.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Courtenay R. O'Mara, P.E., Wallace Dam Hydro 
Relicensing Manager, Southern Company Generation, BIN 10193, 241 Ralph 
McGill Blvd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308-3374; (404) 506-7219; 
[email protected].

[[Page 7355]]

    i. FERC Contact: Allan Creamer at (202) 502-8365, or at 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, 
recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary 
prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice; reply 
comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene, protests, comments, recommendations, preliminary 
terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions 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-2413-124.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice require all intervenors filing 
documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each 
person on the official service list for the project. Further, if an 
intervenor files comments or documents with the Commission relating to 
the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a 
particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document 
on that resource agency.
    k. This application has been accepted for filing and is now ready 
for environmental analysis.
    l. The Wallace Dam Project consists of: (1) A 2,395-foot-long, 120-
foot-high dam, consisting of (i) a 347-foot-long west earth embankment, 
(ii) a 300-foot-long west concrete non-overflow section, (iii) a 266-
foot-long concrete spillway with five Tainter gates, each 48 feet high 
by 42 feet wide with a total discharge capacity of 35,000 cubic feet 
per second (cfs), (iv) a 531.4-foot-long powerhouse intake section, 
protected by trashracks having a clear bar spacing of 9.5 to 10.5 
inches and leading to six penstocks with a maximum diameter of 25.5 
feet, (v) a 226-foot-long east concrete non-overflow section, (vi) a 
725-foot-long east earth embankment, and (vii) two saddle dikes, 
located east of the dam, totaling about 900 feet in length; (2) an 
18,188-acre reservoir (Lake Oconee) at an elevation of 435.0 feet Plant 
Datum (where Plant Datum equals mean sea level (NAVD88) minus 0.20 
feet); (3) a powerhouse integral with the dam that contains six 
turbine/generator units (two conventional generating units and four 
reversible pump units, with a total installed capacity of 321.3 
megawatts; (4) a 20,000-foot-long tailrace that flows into Lake 
Sinclair, which serves as the lower reservoir for the Wallace Dam 
Project; (5) transmission facilities that consist of (i) 13.8-kilovolt 
(kV) generator leads, (ii) two 13.8/230-kV step-up transformers, (iii) 
a 230-kV substation, and (iv) a 15.67-mile-long transmission line that 
extends from Wallace Dam west to a switching station near Eatonton, 
Georgia; and (6) appurtenant facilities.
    The Wallace Dam Project is a pumped storage project, generating 
390,083 megawatt-hours of electricity annually. Water for generation at 
Wallace Dam comes from inflow, plus storage in Lake Oconee. The project 
generates during peak power demand hours to meet the electrical system 
demand. Water that is not used for generation at the downstream 
Sinclair Project FERC No. 1951, remains in Lake Sinclair for a few 
hours before being pumped back into Lake Oconee. Pumpback operation 
occurs at night, when electrical system demand is low (off-peak hours). 
For normal day-to-day operation, Lake Oconee fluctuates between 
elevations 435.0 and 433.5 feet Plant Datum, resulting in an average 
daily fluctuation of 1.5 feet. The Wallace Dam Project discharges 
directly into Lake Sinclair, with no intervening riverine or bypassed 
reach flows. Generation typically is the highest during the summer 
months, where Wallace Dam generates for about 7 to 8 hours during the 
afternoon peak demand period. During the fall and winter months, 
generation typically lasts 5 to 6 hours.
    During drought periods, the Wallace Dam Project supports the 
minimum flow requirements of the downstream Sinclair Project. When the 
Sinclair Project's calculated inflow drops below its minimum flow 
requirement of 250 cfs, water is released from Lake Oconee to maintain 
the elevation of Lake Sinclair at the minimum level necessary for safe 
pumpback operation at Wallace Dam, which is 338.2 feet Plant Datum.
    m. A copy of the application is available for review at the 
Commission in the Public Reference Room, or may be viewed on the 
Commission's website at http://www.ferc.gov, using the eLibrary link. 
Enter the docket number, excluding the last three digits in the docket 
number field, to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support. A copy is also available for inspection and 
reproduction at the address in item h above.
    You may register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    n. Anyone may submit a protest or a motion to intervene in 
accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 
CFR 385.210, 385.211, and 385.214. In determining the appropriate 
action to take, the Commission will consider all protests or other 
comments filed, but only those who file a motion to intervene in 
accordance with the Commission's Rules may become a party to the 
proceeding. Any comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be 
received on, or before, the specified deadline date for the particular 
application.
    All filings must: (1) Bear in all capital letters the title 
PROTEST, MOTION TO INTERVENE, COMMENTS, REPLY COMMENTS, 
RECOMMENDATIONS, PRELIMINARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS, OR PRELIMINARY 
FISHWAY PRESCRIPTIONS; (2) set forth in the heading the name of the 
applicant and the project number of the application to which the filing 
responds; (3) furnish the name, address, and telephone number of the 
person protesting or intervening; and (4) otherwise comply with the 
requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All comments, 
recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions or prescriptions must 
set forth their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the 
requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may obtain copies of the 
application directly from the applicant. A copy of any protest or 
motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the 
applicant specified in the particular application. A copy of all other 
filings in reference to this application must be accompanied by proof 
of service on all persons listed in the service list prepared by the 
Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 
385.2010.
    o. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following revised Hydro Licensing Schedule. Further revisions to 
the schedule will be made as appropriate.

[[Page 7356]]



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              Milestone                           Target date
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Filing comments, recommendations,      April 2019.
 preliminary terms and conditions,
 and preliminary fishway
 prescriptions.
Commission issues EA.................  October 2019.
Comments on EA.......................  November 2019.
Filing modified terms and conditions.  January 2020.
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    p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.
    q. A license applicant must file, no later than 60 days following 
the date of issuance of the notice of acceptance and ready for 
environmental analysis provided for in 5.22: (1) A copy of the water 
quality certification; (2) a copy of the request for certification, 
including proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the 
request; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification.

    Dated: February 22, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-03763 Filed 3-1-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P