[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 17 (Thursday, January 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4997-4998]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-01490]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 15269-000]


Premium Energy Holdings, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit 
Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To 
Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On March 31, 2022, 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 
Nacimiento Pumped Storage Hydro Project to be located approximately 27 
miles northwest of Highway 101 in Paso Robles, California in San Luis 
Obispo County. 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 closed-loop project would consist of the following: 
(1) a new upper reservoir at a normal maximum operating elevation of 
either 1,952 feet average mean sea level, with a surface area of 85 
acres and a total storage capacity of 7,500 acre-feet (alternative A), 
or 1,788 feet average mean sea level, with a surface area of 72 acres 
and a total storage capacity of 8,000 acre-feet (alternative B); (2) an 
existing lower reservoir (Lake Nacimiento, completed in 1956 for flood 
control, irrigation water, groundwater recharge for the Salinas Valley, 
and recreational activities); (3) either a 0.74 mile-long headrace 
tunnel, 0.17-mile-long vertical shaft, 5.13-mile-long horizontal 
tunnel, 0.07-mile-long penstock, and 1.06-mile-long tailrace tunnel 
with a maximum head of 987 feet (alternative A), or a 0.42-mile-long 
headrace tunnel, 0.10-mile-long vertical shaft, 2.93-mile-long 
horizontal tunnel, 0.04-mile-long penstock, and-0.61 mile long tailrace 
tunnel with a maximum head of 1,151 feet (alternative B) connecting the 
reservoirs to the powerhouse; (4) a new powerhouse located on land 
owned by the County of Monterey that would house 4 new pump-turbines 
rated at 150 megawatts each; (5) a new substation constructed in the 
southern shore of Lake Nacimiento near the powerhouse connected to the 
regional electrical utility with either; (6) a new 21-mile-long 230-
kilovolt (kV) transmission line

[[Page 4998]]

interconnecting at the existing 60-kV Perry Substation (existing lines 
would be upgraded to 230-kV, as required) (alternative 1) or a new 26-
mile-long 230-kV transmission line interconnecting PG&E's network at 
the existing 60-kV Paso Robles Substation (existing lines would be 
upgraded to 230-kV as required) (alternative 2), or a new 28-mile-long 
230-kV transmission line interconnecting PG&E's network at the existing 
230-kV Templeton Substation (no upgrades necessary) (alternative 3); 
and (7) appurtenant facilities. The estimated annual power generation 
at the Nacimiento Pumped Storage Project would be 1,200,000 megawatt-
hours.
    Applicant Contact: Victor M. Rojas, Managing Director, Premium 
Energy Holdings, LLC. 355 South Lemon Ave., Suite A, Walnut, California 
91789; phone: (909) 595-5314; [email protected].
    FERC Contact: Benjamin Mann; email: [email protected]; phone: 
(202) 502-8127.
    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 https://ferconline.ferc.gov/eFiling.aspx. Commenters can submit brief comments 
up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the eComment 
system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx. You must 
include your name and contact information at the end of your comments. 
For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support. In lieu of 
electronic filing, you may submit a paper copy. Submissions sent via 
the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier 
must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. 
The first page of any filing should include docket number P-15269.
    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-15269) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: January 19, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-01490 Filed 1-25-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P