[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17200-17201]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-05759]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Availability of Guidance and Application for 
Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives

AGENCY: Grid Deployment Office, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability of guidance and open application period.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Deployment Office (GDO) 
gives notice of availability of guidance for the Hydroelectric 
Efficiency Improvement Incentives as authorized through the Energy 
Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), as amended by the Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, and the opening of the 2023 
application period. The guidance describes the hydroelectric efficiency 
improvement incentives payment requirements, including application 
requirements, that qualified hydroelectric facilities must provide DOE 
when applying for hydroelectric efficiency improvement incentives.

DATES: DOE is currently accepting applications from March 22, 2023 
through 5:00 p.m. ET, June 20, 2023. Applications must be submitted to 
the Clean Energy Infrastructure Funding Opportunity eXCHANGE located at 
https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/ by 5:00 p.m. ET, June 20, 
2023, or they will not be considered timely filed for calendar year 
2023 incentive payments.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties are to submit applications electronically 
to the Clean Energy Infrastructure Funding Opportunity eXCHANGE, 
located at https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/. The guidance is 
available via the GDO website https://www.energy.gov/gdo/section-243-hydroelectric-efficiency-improvement-incentives-program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions may be addressed to Ms. 
Luciana Ciocci, U.S. Department of Energy, Grid Deployment Office, 1000 
Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20585, (202) 480-5768 or by email 
at [email protected]. Further instruction can be found 
in the Guidance posted at https://www.energy.gov/gdo/section-243-hydroelectric-efficiency-improvement-incentives-program. Electronic

[[Page 17201]]

communications are recommended for correspondence.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Grid Deployment Office provides notice 
of availability of guidance and the opening of the 2023 application 
period pertaining to section 243 of EPAct 2005, Hydroelectric 
Efficiency Improvement Incentives, as amended by section 40332 IIJA of 
2021, Public Law 117-58.\1\ As initially announced in the February 2023 
notice of intent, the guidance sets out the eligibility requirements, 
general application requirements and process, procedures for processing 
applications, allocation of funding for eligible projects in the event 
of oversubscription, and funding restrictions.\2\
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    \1\ Public Law 117-58, div. D, title III, Sec.  40332(a).
    \2\ 88 FR 8837 (Feb. 10, 2023).
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    The guidance document describes the application process and the 
information necessary for the Secretary of Energy to make incentive 
payments to the owners and authorized operators of qualified 
hydroelectric facilities at existing dams to be used to make capital 
improvements in the facilities that are directly related to improving 
the efficiency of such facilities by at least three percent pursuant to 
section 243 of EPAct 2005.\3\
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    \3\ 42 U.S.C. 15882(a).
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    Under the statute, the incentive payments include the following 
limitations: an incentive payment shall not exceed 30 percent of the 
costs of the applicable capital improvement(s); no more than one 
incentive payment may be made to a single qualified hydroelectric 
facility in any fiscal year; and that shall not exceed $5,000,000.\4\
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    \4\ 42 U.S.C. 15882(b).
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    The guidance is available at: https://www.energy.gov/gdo/section-243-hydroelectric-efficiency-improvement-incentives-program. Each 
application will be reviewed based on the guidance. Interested parties 
are to submit applications electronically to the Clean Energy 
Infrastructure Funding Opportunity eXCHANGE, located at https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/.
    When submitting an application to DOE for section 243 of EPAct 
2005, Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives, it is 
recommended that applicants carefully read and review the completed 
contents of the guidance for this process. When reviewing applications, 
DOE may corroborate the information provided with information that DOE 
finds through FERC e-filings and other due diligence measures carried 
out by reviewing officials. DOE may require the applicant to conduct 
and submit an independent audit at its own expense, or DOE may conduct 
an audit to verify efficiency improvements claimed by the qualified 
hydroelectric facility.
    A public webinar will be held in the coming weeks to provide 
clarity on the guidance document, as necessary. The webinar will be 
held in a question-and-answer format with registration details 
available at https://www.energy.gov/gdo/section-243-hydroelectric-efficiency-improvement-incentives-program.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on March 16, 
2023, by Maria Duaime Robinson, Director of the Grid Deployment Office, 
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 March 16, 2023.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2023-05759 Filed 3-21-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P