[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 160 (Monday, August 23, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 47099]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17997]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Notice of WAPA Loan Determination and Administration; 
Transmission Infrastructure Program

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of WAPA loan determination and administration.

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SUMMARY: The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), a Federal power 
marketing administration of the United States Department of Energy 
(DOE), will be responsible for the loan determination and 
administration of loan applications submitted to its Transmission 
Infrastructure Program (TIP or Program) for use of WAPA's borrowing 
authority. This Federal Register notice (FRN) announces WAPA's revised 
role in performing all activities related to loan determination and 
administration.

DATES: This decision is effective as of August 23, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Stacey Harris, Transmission 
Infrastructure Program, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 
281213, Lakewood, CO 80228-8213, telephone (720) 962-7710 or email: 
[email protected].
    This notice is available on WAPA's website at: https://www.wapa.gov/FederalRegisterNotices/Pages/federal-register-notices.aspx.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: WAPA markets and transmits wholesale 
hydroelectric power generated at Federal dams across the western United 
States. WAPA's transmission system was developed to deliver Federal 
hydroelectric power to preference customers. WAPA owns and operates a 
transmission system with more than 17,000 circuit-miles of high voltage 
lines and markets power across 15 western states and a 1.3 million 
square-mile service area. WAPA's service area encompasses all the 
following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, New 
Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming; and parts of 
Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Minnesota, and Texas. WAPA markets excess 
capacity on its transmission system consistent with the policies and 
procedures outlined in its Open Access Transmission Tariff (OATT) on 
file with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. WAPA offers 
nondiscriminatory access to its transmission system, including requests 
to interconnect new generating resources to its transmission system, 
under its OATT.
    WAPA's TIP implements Section 402 of the America Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-5), which amended Section 301 of 
the Hoover Power Plant Act of 1984. The Program uses the authority 
granted under these statutes to borrow up to $3.25 billion from the 
U.S. Department of the Treasury to construct, finance, facilitate, 
plan, operate, maintain, or study construction of new or upgraded 
electric power transmission lines and related facilities, with at least 
one terminus within WAPA's service territory. The projects must 
facilitate the delivery of power generated by renewable energy 
resources constructed, or reasonably expected to be constructed, 
demonstrate reasonable expectation of repayment, not adversely affect 
system reliability or operations and be in the public interest. The 
Program was announced in 2009 \1\ and revised in 2014.\2\
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    \1\ 74 FR 22732 (May 14, 2009).
    \2\ 79 FR 19065 (April 7, 2014).
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    The 2014 FRN established WAPA reliance on services and direction 
provided by DOE's Loan Programs Office (LPO) in setting out the 
financial terms of the lender-borrower relationship and the LPO would 
be responsible for administering the Project Finance Phase consisting 
of underwriting, financing, and loan monitoring and servicing. With the 
publication of this FRN, WAPA announces it has contracted with external 
parties to provide support in the performance of these services. The 
use of contractors provides TIP flexibility in scaling manpower up or 
down to match increased or decreased Program activities, while avoiding 
the need to create a fixed staff. Moreover, consistent with upholding 
the principle set forth in the 2014 FRN, loan applicants shall remain 
solely responsible for paying all costs associated with a loan.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on August 17, 
2021, by Tracey A. LeBeau, Interim Administrator, Western Area Power 
Administration, pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary of 
Energy. That document with the original signature and date is 
maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in compliance 
with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the 
undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to 
sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as 
an official document of the Department of Energy. This administrative 
process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon 
publication in the Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2021.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2021-17997 Filed 8-20-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P