[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52084-52085]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21332]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14991-000]


Premium Energy Holdings, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit 
Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To 
Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On May 3, 2019, Premium Energy Holdings, 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 Haiwee Pumped 
Storage Project (Haiwee Project or project) to be located on Haiwee 
Creek, near the unincorporated community of Olancha, Inyo County, 
California. 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 be a closed-loop pumped storage 
hydropower facility. The applicant proposes three alternative upper 
reservoirs: McCloud Reservoir, Little Cactus Reservoir, or Haiwee 
Canyon Reservoir. The proposed North Haiwee 2 Reservoir would be the 
lower reservoir for each alternative.

Upper Reservoir Alternative 1: McCloud Reservoir

    The McCloud Reservoir alternative consists of: (1) A 504-acre upper 
reservoir having a total storage capacity of 44,554 acre-feet at a 
normal maximum operating elevation of 5,260 feet mean sea level (msl); 
(2) a 175-foot-high, 3,068-foot-long roller compacted concrete upper 
reservoir dam; (3) a 2.41-mile-long, 39-foot-diameter concrete-lined 
headrace tunnel; (4) a 0.2-mile-long, 35-foot-diameter concrete-lined 
vertical shaft; (5) a 5.6-mile-long, 35-foot-diameter concrete-lined 
horizontal tunnel; (6) six 0..78-mile-long, 22-foot-diameter steel 
penstocks; (7) a 585-foot-long, 90-foot-wide, 165-foot-high concrete-
lined powerhouse located in an underground cavern, housing five pump-
turbine generator-motor units rated for 400 megawatts (MW) each; and 
(8) a 0.68-mile-long, 42-foot-diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel 
discharging into the proposed North Haiwee 2 Reservoir.

Upper Reservoir Alternative 2: Little Cactus Reservoir

    The Little Cactus Reservoir alternative consists of: (1) A 499-acre 
upper reservoir having a total storage capacity of 47,021 acre-feet at 
a normal maximum operating elevation of 4,980 feet msl; (2) a 235-foot-
high, 2,836-foot-long roller compacted concrete upper reservoir dam; 
(3) a 1.06-mile-long, 39-foot-diameter concrete-lined headrace tunnel; 
(4) a 0.16-mile-long, 35-foot-diameter concrete-lined vertical shaft; 
(5) a 4-mile-long, 35-foot-diameter concrete-lined horizontal tunnel; 
(6) six 0.7-mile-long, 22-foot-diameter steel penstocks; (7) a 585-
foot-long, 90-foot-wide, 165-foot-high concrete-lined powerhouse 
located in an underground cavern, housing five pump-turbine generator-
motor units rated for 400 MW each; and (8) a 0.78-mile-long, 42-foot-
diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel discharging into the proposed 
North Haiwee 2 Reservoir.

Upper Reservoir Alternative 3: Haiwee Canyon Reservoir

    The Haiwee Canyon Reservoir alternative consists of: (1) A 138-acre 
upper reservoir having a total storage capacity of 28,620 acre-feet at 
a normal maximum operating elevation of 6,160 feet msl; (2) a 595-foot-
high, 2,256-foot-long roller compacted concrete upper reservoir dam; 
(3) a 1.64-mile-long, 31-foot-diameter concrete-lined headrace tunnel; 
(4) a 0.32-mile-long, 28-foot-diameter concrete-lined vertical shaft; 
(5) a 5.2-mile-long, 28-foot-diameter concrete-lined horizontal tunnel; 
(6) six 0.54-mile-long, 18-foot-diameter steel penstocks; (7) a 585-
foot-long, 90-foot-wide, 165-foot-high concrete-lined powerhouse 
located in an underground cavern, housing five pump-turbine generator-
motor units rated for 400 MW each; and (8) a 0.8-mile-long, 33-foot-
diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel discharging into the proposed 
North Haiwee 2 Reservoir.

Lower Reservoir: North Haiwee 2 Reservoir

    The proposed North Haiwee 2 Reservoir would consist of: (1) A 320-
acre lower reservoir having a total storage capacity 38,350 acre-feet 
at a normal maximum operating elevation of 3,770 feet msl; and (2) a 
160-foot-high, 7,090-foot-long roller compacted concrete lower 
reservoir dam.

Interconnection

    For each upper reservoir alternative, project power would be 
transmitted to the grid via: (1) A new, 2.5-mile-long, 500 kilovolt 
(kV) underground transmission line extending from the

[[Page 52085]]

powerhouse to the proposed North Haiwee switchyard (the point of 
interconnection); and (2) appurtenant facilities. The estimated annual 
generation of the Haiwee Project under each of the alternatives would 
be 6,900 gigawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contact: Victor M. Rojas, Managing Director, Premium 
Energy Holdings, LLC, 355 South Lemon Avenue, Suite A, Walnut, 
California 91789; phone: (909) 595-5314.
    FERC Contact: Kyle Olcott; phone: (202) 502-8963.
    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-14991-000.
    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-14991) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: September 25, 2019.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-21332 Filed 9-30-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P