[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 28, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45139-45140]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-18540]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14966-000]


Grid Balance Hydropower, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit 
Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To 
Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On February 25, 2019, Grid Balance Hydropower, LLC, 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 
Packer-Banks Pumped Storage Project to be located in Carbon County, 
Pennsylvania. 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 
9,500-foot-long, 80- to 120-foot-high roller-compacted concrete and/or 
rock-filled dam or dike forming an upper reservoir having a surface 
area of 120 acres and a total storage capacity of approximately 9,300 
acre-feet at a normal maximum water surface elevation between 
approximately 1,960 and 1,860 feet above mean sea level (msl); (2) a 
lower reservoir with three different options: Option A (site 1) or B 
(site 2) would include a new 9,500-foot-long, 85- to 95-foot-high 
roller-compacted concrete and/or rock-filled dam or dike forming a 
lower reservoir having a surface area of 120 acres and a total storage 
capacity of approximately 9,300 acre-feet at a normal maximum water 
surface elevation between approximately 1,250 and 1,350 feet msl. 
Option C (site 3) would include a below grade mine pit with a surface 
area of 200 acres and a total storage capacity of approximately 10,000 
acre-feet at a normal maximum water surface elevation between 
approximately 1,250 and 1,350 feet msl; (3) a 5,500-foot-long tunnel 
and/or penstock connecting the upper and lower reservoirs; (4) a 
powerhouse containing four turbine-generator units with a total rated 
capacity of 400 megawatts; (5) a transmission line connecting to an 
existing 230-kilovolt transmission line traversing the site; and (6) 
appurtenant facilities. Initial fill and make-up water for the project 
would come from a nearby abandoned mine drainage source. The proposed 
project would have an annual generation of 1,680,000 megawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contact: Paul A. DiRenzo, Jr., Grid Balance Hydropower, 
LLC, 214 Norwegian Woods Drive, Pottsville, PA 17901; phone: 570-617-
7810.
    FERC Contact: Monir Chowdhury; phone: (202) 502-6736.
    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.\1\

[[Page 45140]]

Competing applications and notices of intent must meet the requirements 
of 18 CFR 4.36.
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    \1\ The Commission is issuing a second notice for this project 
because some municipalities may not have been notified by the first 
notice issued on May 1, 2019. Any comments filed in response to 
either notice will be considered in evaluating the permit 
application.
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    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-14966-000.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the eLibrary link of the 
Commission's website at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-14966) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

     Dated: August 22, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-18540 Filed 8-27-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P