[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.
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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