[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