[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 249 (Monday, December 30, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71911-71912]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-28071]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2368-059]


Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and 
Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing and Deadline for 
Submission of Final Amendments; Algonquin Northern Maine Generating 
Company

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Subsequent Minor License.
    b. Project No.: 2368-059.
    c. Date Filed: December 3, 2019.
    d. Applicant: Algonquin Northern Maine Generating Company 
(Algonquin).
    e. Name of Project: Scopan Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located on Scopan Stream in 
the Town of Masardis in Aroostook County, Maine. The project does not 
affect federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Ian MacRobbie, Vice President, Operations, 
Algonquin Northern Maine Generating Company, 26 Canal Bank, Windsor 
Locks, Connecticut 06096; Telephone (905) 465-6119.
    i. FERC Contact: John Baummer, (202) 502-6837 or 
[email protected].
    j. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.

[[Page 71912]]

    k. Project Description: The existing Scopan Hydroelectric Project 
consists of: (1) A 750-foot-long dam that includes: (a) A 330-foot-
long, 45-foot-high earthen embankment section (north embankment) with a 
194-foot-long, 49-foot-high concrete retaining wall at the downstream 
end of the embankment; (b) a 24-foot-long, 45-foot-high concrete 
gravity spillway section with a crest elevation of 590 feet National 
Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD) and a single 13.5-foot-high 
spillway gate with two 10-inch-diameter minimum flow butterfly valves; 
(c) a 26-foot-long, 48-foot-high concrete intake and powerhouse section 
that includes: (i) Two 12-inch-wide head gates and trashracks with 3-
inch clear-bar spacing; and (ii) a 26-foot-long, 49-foot-high concrete 
powerhouse with a single 1.5-megawatt vertical propeller turbine-
generator unit; and (d) a 370-foot-long, 45-foot-high earthen 
embankment section (south embankment) with a 135.5-foot-long, 45-foot-
high concrete retaining wall at the downstream end of the embankment; 
(2) an approximately 15-mile-long, 5,000-acre impoundment (Scopan Lake) 
with a useable storage volume of 57,920 acre-feet between elevations 
590.5 and 603.2 feet NGVD; (3) three 13.45/2.4-kilovolt transformers 
and switch gear that connect the generator to Emera, Maine's regional 
transmission line; and (4) appurtenant facilities.
    The project operates in a store and release mode in which the 
impoundment is drawdown from January through March of each year to meet 
electricity demand in the winter. During the spring and summer, the 
impoundment is maintained at or near the full pond levels to protect 
and enhance fisheries, wetlands, wildlife and recreational resources. 
Algonquin manages the project to augment flows in the Aroostook River 
downstream of the project for generation at the Aroostook River Project 
No. 2367 and the Tinker Falls Project, the latter of which is located 
in New Brunswick Canada and is not a FERC-licensed project. The Scopan 
Project had an average annual generation of approximately 878,913 
kilowatt-hours from 2012 through 2018.
    The project's current license requires Algonquin to: (1) To 
maintain Scopan Lake water levels as follows: (a) From May 15 to July 
31, fluctuate Scopan Lake by no more than one foot; (b) from July 16 to 
Labor Day, target Scopan Lake between 601.0 to 603.0 feet NGVD; and (c) 
from October 1 to November 15, maintain Scopan Lake at or above 601.0 
feet NGVD; (2) release minimum flows of 21 cubic feet per second (cfs) 
from December 1 through May 15, and 25 cfs from May 16 through November 
30; (3) close one of the two minimum flow valves if Scopan Lake falls 
below 601.5 feet NGVD; (4) close both minimum flow valves if Scopan 
Lake falls below 601 feet NGVD; and (5) limit the maximum discharge 
from the project to not more than 600 cfs from April 1 to November 30.
    Algonquin proposes to: (1) Maintain Scopan Lake water surface 
elevations as follows: (a) From June 1 to July 31 limit water level 
fluctuations in Scopan Lake to no more than 0.5 vertical foot upward or 
1.0 vertical foot downward within any 28-day period from June 1 through 
July 31;(b) from August 1 through Labor Day, maintain the water 
elevation of Scopan Lake between 601.0 and 603.0 feet NGVD; (c) from 
October 1 through November 15, maintain the water elevation of Scopan 
Lake above 601.0 feet NGVD; (d) limit winter drawdowns of Scopan Lake 
to no lower than 595.3 feet NGVD from November 16 to May 14; (2) limit 
the maximum discharge from the project to not more than 600 cfs from 
June 1 to November 30; and (3) continue to release a continuous minimum 
flow of 21 cfs including leakage from the minimum flow valves unless 
water levels in Scopan Lake fall below 601.5 feet NGVD from May 16 
through November 30, in which case one valve would be closed.
    l. Locations of the Application: 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, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction 
the Ashland Community Library, 57 Exchange Street, Ashland, Maine 
04732.
    m. You may also 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. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following preliminary Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the 
schedule may be made as appropriate.

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              Milestone                           Target Date
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Notice of Acceptance/Notice of Ready   April 2020.
 for Environmental Analysis.
Filing of recommendations,             June 2020.
 preliminary terms and conditions,
 and fishway prescriptions.
Commission issues Environmental        September 2020.
 Assessment.
Comments on the EA...................  October 2020.
Modified terms and conditions........  December 2020.
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    o. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice 
of ready for environmental analysis.

    Dated: December 17, 2019.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-28071 Filed 12-27-19; 8:45 am]
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