[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 157 (Tuesday, August 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50333-50334]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-17575]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Southeastern Power Administration


Revision to Power Marketing Policy Georgia--Alabama--South 
Carolina System of Projects

AGENCY: Southeastern Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of proposed revision to power marketing policy.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to its Procedure for Public Participation in the 
Formulation of Marketing Policy, published in the Federal Register on 
July 6, 1978, Southeastern Power Administration (Southeastern) 
published on January 14, 2022, a notice of intent to revise its power 
marketing policy to include provisions regarding renewable energy 
certificates (RECs) from its Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina System of 
Projects. The current power marketing policy was published on December 
28, 1994, for the Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina System (System) and is 
reflected in contracts for the sale of system power, which are 
maintained in Southeastern's headquarters office. The following is the 
proposed revision to the Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina System Power 
Marketing Policy to include a procedure for distribution of RECs to 
Preference Customers. Southeastern solicits written comments in 
formulating the final marketing policy revision.

DATES: A public information and comment forum will be held on October 
19, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. by webinar. Persons desiring to attend the forum 
should notify Southeastern by October 10, 2022, so that a list of forum 
participants can be prepared. Persons desiring to speak at the forum 
should specify this in their notification to Southeastern; others may 
speak if time permits. Written comments are due November 3, 2022, 
fifteen (15) days after the scheduled comment forum.

ADDRESSES: Five copies of written comments should be submitted to: 
Virgil G. Hobbs III, Administrator, Southeastern Power Administration, 
Department of Energy, 1166 Athens Tech Road, Elberton, Georgia 30635-
6711, and emailed to [email protected]. The public information and 
comment forum for the revision of the Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina 
System Power marketing policy to include provisions for RECs will be by 
Microsoft Teams. Please register your intent to attend, including name, 
address, phone number, and email address, with Southeastern' s Legal 
Assistant, Karen Fitzpatrick at [email protected], to 
receive updates on the meeting status of the comment forum. Registered 
attendees will be contacted on October 17, 2022 regarding meeting links 
and call-in information for the webinar.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leon Jourolmon IV, General Counsel, 
Southeastern Power Administration, 1166 Athens Tech Road, Elberton, GA 
30635. Telephone: (706) 213-3800. Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to its Procedure for ``Public 
Participation in Formulation of Marketing Policy'', published a 
``Notice of Issuance of Final Power Marketing Policy, Georgia-Alabama-
South Carolina System of Projects'' in the Federal Register on December 
28, 1994, 59 FR 66957. The policy establishes the marketing area for 
system power and addresses the utilization of area utility systems for 
essential purposes. The policy also addresses wholesale rates, resale 
rates, and conservation measures, but does not address RECs. Under 
Section 5 of the Flood Control Act of 1944 (16 U.S.C. 825s), 
Southeastern is responsible for the transmission disposition of 
electric power and energy from reservoir projects operated by the 
Department of the Army. Furthermore, Southeastern must transmit and 
dispose of such power and energy in such manner as to encourage the 
most widespread use at the lowest possible rates consistent with sound 
business principles. Rate schedules are drawn to recover all costs 
associated with producing and transmitting the power in accordance with 
repayment criteria.
    Southeastern began the development of a REC distribution process at 
the request of customers in the Kerr-Philpott System. To expand the REC 
distribution to additional customers, Southeastern has begun to develop 
a process for REC distribution in the Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina 
System (System). The purpose of the distributions is to provide 
customers with a product that the customers have asked to receive, 
which will add value to the green, renewable hydropower already 
delivered. The revisions will not

[[Page 50334]]

change the Administrator's prior determinations regarding power 
allocation within the System marketing area.
    All documents introduced at the public information and comment 
forum, and all comments, questions and answers will be available for 
inspection and copying in accordance with the Freedom of Information 
Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

Public Notice and Comment

    On January 14, 2022, Southeastern published in the Federal 
Register, 87 FR 2429, a ``Notice of Intention to begin a public 
process'' to revise its marketing policy by including provisions 
regarding RECs from the System. The notice requested that written 
comments and proposals be submitted on or before March 15, 2022. 
Southeastern received no public comments.

Proposed Revision to the Power Marketing Policy

    The System consists of ten projects in or on the border of the 
states of Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. The projects are 
Hartwell, Richard B. Russell, J. Strom Thurmond, Carters, Buford, 
Allatoona, Jones Bluff, Millers Ferry, West Point and Walter F. George. 
The power generated at these projects is purchased by and benefits 192 
preference customers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South 
Carolina, and North Carolina. The System provides 2,184,257 kilowatts 
of capacity and about 3,383,000 MWh of average annual energy from 
stream-flow based on modeling for the period of record.
    Southeastern proposes to revise the Power Marketing Policy for the 
System to include the following additional provisions for RECs 
associated with hydroelectric generation:
    Renewable Energy Certificates: The M-RETS Tracking System creates 
and tracks certificates reporting generation attributes, by generating 
unit, for each megawatt-hour (MWh) of energy produced by registered 
generators. The System projects are registered generators within M-
RETS. The RECs potentially satisfy Renewable Portfolio Standards, state 
policies, and other regulatory or voluntary clean energy standards in a 
number of states. Southeastern has subscribed to M-RETS and has an 
account in which RECs are collected and tracked for each MWh of energy 
produced from the System. Within M-RETS, certificates can be 
transferred to other M-RETS subscribers or to a third-party tracking 
system.
    M-RETS creates a REC for every MWh of renewable energy produced in 
the region, tracks the life cycle of each REC created, and ensures 
against any double-counting or double-use of each REC. These RECs may 
be used by electricity suppliers and other energy market participants 
to comply with relevant state policies and regulatory programs and to 
support voluntary ``green'' electricity markets.
    Southeastern proposes distribution of M-RETS-created RECs to 
Preference Customers with allocations of power from the System.
    REC Distribution: M-RETS (or a successor application) will be the 
transfer mechanism for all RECs related to the System. Southeastern 
shall maintain an account with M-RETS and collect RECs from the 
generation at the System projects. Southeastern will verify the total 
amount of RECs each month. Preference Customers with an allocation of 
power from the System are eligible to receive RECs by transfer from 
Southeastern's M-RETS account to their M-RETS account or that of their 
agent. Transfers to each customer will be based on the customer's 
monthly invoices during the same three-month period (quarter). Where 
applicable, RECs will be project-specific based on the customer's 
contractual arrangements.
    All RECs distributed by Southeastern shall be transferred within 
forty-five days of the end of a quarter. Each customer must submit to 
Southeastern, by the tenth business day after the quarter, any notice 
of change to M-RETS account or agent. Any REC transfers that were not 
claimed or if a transfer account was not provided to Southeastern will 
be forfeited if they become nontransferable as described in the M-RETS 
terms of service, procedures, policies, or definitions of reporting and 
trading periods, or any subsequent rules and procedures for transfers 
as established.
    The initial transfer process in M-RETS will be accomplished by the 
sixtieth day after the end of the first completed quarter subsequent to 
publication of the final policy revision. Any balance of RECs that 
exist in Southeastern's M-RETS account, other than the first quarter 
after policy revision publication, may also be transferred to 
Preference Customers according to the customer's invoiced energy at the 
time of the REC creation.
    Rates: No rates shall be established by Southeastern for RECs 
transferred to Preference Customers. Any cost to Southeastern, such as 
the M-RETS subscription, will be incorporated into marketing costs and 
included in recovery through the energy and capacity rates of the 
System.

Signing Authority

    This Department of Energy document was signed on August 10, 2022 by 
Virgil G. Hobbs III, Administrator, Southeastern 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 11, 2022.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2022-17575 Filed 8-15-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P