[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 162 (Thursday, August 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51425-51426]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18265]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 3211-010]


Power Authority of New York; Notice of Application Tendered for 
Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for 
Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments

    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.: 3211-010.
    c. Date Filed: July 31, 2020.
    d. Applicant: Power Authority of the State of New York (Power 
Authority or NYPA).
    e. Name of Project: Hinckley (Gregory B. Jarvis) Hydroelectric 
Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located on West Canada Creek, 
a tributary of the Mohawk River, at the Hinckley Reservoir dam, 
approximately 0.5 mile upstream of the Hamlet of Hinckley in the 
counties of Oneida and Herkimer, New York. The project does not occupy 
federal land.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Cindy Brady, New York Power Authority, 123 
Main Street, White Plains, NY 10601; (914) 287-3153; 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Emily Carter, (202) 502-6512 or 
[email protected].
    j. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    k. Project Description: The existing Gregory B. Jarvis Project 
consists of: (1) A 570-foot-long, 53-foot-high north embankment dam; 
(2) a 2,600-foot-long south embankment dam; (3) a 400-foot-long ogee-
type, cyclopean concrete spillway with a crest elevation of 1,225 feet; 
\1\ (4) a 65-foot-long, 82-foot-high non-overflow cyclopean concrete 
intake structure with the top at 1,240 feet; (5) intake structure trash 
racks with 5.375-inch clear-spacing; (6) a 15-foot-diameter penstock, 
which bifurcates into two 90-foot-long, 10.5-foot-diameter penstocks; 
(7) two 3-foot by 4-foot gate valves that lead to a 42-inch-diameter 
sluice gate; (8) a 120-foot-long, 55-foot-wide, 43-foot-high semi-
underground powerhouse located 200 feet downstream of the non-overflow 
intake structure; (9) two 4.5-megawatt (MW) horizontal Kaplan turbine-
generator units; (10) an underground transformer; (11) a 280-foot-long 
tailrace; (12) a 60-inch-diameter water pipe used as a low-level 
outlet; (13) two 4.16-kilovolt (kV) generator leads routed 50-feet 
underground to an aboveground NYPA-owned 46-kV/4.16-kV step-up 
transformer; (14) an approximately 300-foot-long, 46-kV underground 
transmission line; and (15) appurtenant facilities.
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    \1\ All elevations are referenced to the Hinckley Datum. 
Elevations referenced to the Hinckley Datum are 1.04 feet higher 
than elevations referenced to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum 
[NGVD29 or mean sea level (msl)], thus, 1,225.0 Hinckley Datum 
corresponds to 1,223.96 feet NGVD29 or msl.
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    The Gregory B. Jarvis Project takes advantage of the releases 
prescribed by the New York State Canal Corporation (NYS Canal Corp) in 
accordance with the 2012 Hinckley Reservoir Operating Diagram to 
generate power. Project operation is adjusted on a twice-weekly basis. 
NYPA does not deviate from the operating diagram unless directed to do 
so by the NYS Canal Corp. Reservoir levels are maintained between 1,195 
feet and 1,225 feet (the elevation of the spillway crest); however, 
reservoir water levels can fall below 1,195 feet during a dry season. 
The Jarvis Project does not operate when reservoir levels are below 
1,195 feet.
    The project has two horizontal Kaplan units which are each capable 
of operating between 300 and 900 cubic feet per second (cfs) for a 
total hydraulic

[[Page 51426]]

capacity of 1,800 cfs under normal operating conditions. At flows 
within the operating range of the units (300 to 1,800 cfs), the project 
provides outflow via generation. At flows below 300 cfs, or when the 
reservoir water surface elevation is below 1,195 feet, the project does 
not operate. During these conditions, the low-level sluice gate no. 4 
is used to pass a minimum flow of 160 cfs. At flows greater than 1,800 
cfs, and when the reservoir water surface elevation is greater than 
1,225 feet, downstream releases are passed via a combination of 
generation and spillage.
    NYPA occasionally operates the project in peaking mode. When NYPA 
is peaking, it will average the outflow required by the operating 
diagram over the course of the day. When operated in this manner, the 
project generates with a lower outflow during non-peak demand periods 
and then generates with a higher outflow during peak demand periods 
such that the total daily average flow is equal to the outflow 
prescribed by the operating diagram.
    l. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the 
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested individuals an 
opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the 
internet through the Commission's Home Page (www.ferc.gov) using the 
``eLibrary'' link. At this time, the Commission has suspended access to 
the Commission's Public Access Room due to the proclamation declaring a 
National Emergency concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), 
issued by the President on March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact FERC 
at [email protected] or call toll-free, (886) 208-3676 or TTY, 
(202) 502-8659. The application can also be found on the applicant's 
website (http://www.nypa.gov/jarvis).
    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 for       September 2020.
 Environmental Analysis.
Filing of recommendations, preliminary terms   November 2020.
 and conditions, and fishway prescriptions.
Commission issues draft Environmental          July 2021.
 Assessment (EA).
Comments on draft EA.........................  August 2021.
Modified Terms and Conditions................  October 2021.
Commission issues final EA...................  January 2022.
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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: August 14, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-18265 Filed 8-19-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P