[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 213 (Monday, November 6, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 76197]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24465]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 15293-001]


Nature and People First New Mexico PHS, LLC; Notice of 
Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting 
Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On July 12, 2023, Nature and People First New Mexico PHS, 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 Chuska Mountain Pumped Storage Project to be located in San Juan 
and McKinley Counties, New Mexico, near the San Juan River, and 
approximately 5.6 miles west of the town of Two Grey Hills on Navajo 
Nation Lands. The sole purpose of a preliminary permit 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 pumped storage hydropower project would consist of all new 
facilities including: (1) Upper Reservoir North with a surface area of 
15,800 acres and a storage volume of 500,000 acre-feet at a maximum 
water surface elevation (WSE) of 8,810 above mean sea level (msl); (2) 
Upper Reservoir Center with a surface area of 7,400 acres and a storage 
volume of 235,000 acre-feet at a maximum WSE of 8,810 feet msl; (3) 
Upper Reservoir South with a surface area of 16,300 acres and a storage 
volume of 510,000 acre-feet at a maximum WSE of 8,810 feet msl; (4) 
Lower Reservoir North 1 with a surface area of 9,000 acres and a 
storage volume of 385,000 acre-feet at a maximum WSE of 6,010 feet msl; 
(5) Lower Reservoir North 2 with a surface area of 2,700 acres and a 
storage volume of 115,000 acre-feet at a maximum WSE of 6,010 feet msl; 
(6) Lower Reservoir Center with a surface area of 2,900 acres and a 
storage volume of 235,000 acre-feet at a maximum WSE of 6,010 feet msl; 
(7) Lower Reservoir South with a surface area of 3,200 acres and a 
storage volume of 510,000 acre-feet at a maximum WSE of 6,010 feet msl; 
(8) a 30-foot-wide and 39,800-foot-long concrete-lined power conduit 
tunnel to North Powerhouse 1; (9) a 60-foot-wide, 700-foot-long, and 
100-foot high subterranean North Powerhouse 1 with seven pump/turbines 
each rated at 250 megawatts (MW); (10) seven 12-foot-wide and 1,000-
foot-long concrete lined North Powerhouse 1 conduit tunnels discharging 
into Lower Reservoir North 1; (11) a 30-foot-wide and 19,800-foot-long 
concrete-lined power conduit to Powerhouse 2; (12) a 60-foot-wide, 700-
foot-long, and 100-foot-high subterranean North Powerhouse 2 with seven 
pump/turbines each rated at 250 MW; (13) seven 12-foot-wide and 1,000-
foot-long concrete lined North Powerhouse 2 conduit tunnels discharging 
into Lower Reservoir North 2; (14) a 30-foot-wide and 43,300-foot-long 
concrete-lined tunnel power conduit to the Center Powerhouse; (15) a 
60-foot-wide, 700-foot-long, and 100-foot-high subterranean Center 
Powerhouse with seven pump/turbines each rated at 250 MW; (16) seven 
12-foot-wide and 1,000-foot-long concrete lined North Powerhouse 1 
conduit tunnels discharging into Lower Reservoir Center; (17) a 45-
foot-wide and 30,300-foot-long concrete lined tunnel to the South 
Powerhouse; (18) a 60-foot-wide, 1,400-foot-long, and 100-foot-high 
subterranean South Powerhouse with 15 pump/turbines each rated at 250 
MW; (19) fifteen 12-foot-wide, 1,000-foot-long concrete-lined tunnels 
discharging into Lower Reservoir South; and (20) approximately 100 
miles of 345-kilovolt transmission lines for interconnection to the 
existing Shiprock, San Juan, and Four Corners substations. The 
estimated annual energy production of the project would be 
approximately 19,710,000 megawatt hours.
    Applicant Contact: Mr. Denis Payre, Nature and People First New 
Mexico PHS, LLC, 405 Waltham St., Suite 145, Lexington, MA 02421; 
email: [email protected]; phone: (781) 491-5364.
    FERC Contact: Shannon Archuleta; email: [email protected]; 
phone (503) 552-2739.
    The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports 
meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission 
proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners, 
environmental justice communities, Tribal members, and others, access 
publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For 
public inquiries and assistance with filings such as interventions, 
comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is encouraged to 
contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or [email protected]. Comments, motions to 
intervene, competing applications (without notices of intent), or 
notices of intent to file competing applications should be submitted 
within 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/FERC.aspx. Commenters can submit brief comments up 
to 6,000 characters without prior registration using the eComment 
system at https://ferconline..gov/QuickComment.aspx. You must include 
your name and contact information at the end of your comments. For 
assistance, please get in touch with FERC Online Support at 
[email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll-free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). Instead 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-15293-001.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed on the Commission's website (http://www.ferc.gov) using the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number (P-
15293) in the docket number field to access the document. For 
assistance, do not hesitate to get in touch with FERC Online Support.

    Dated: October 31, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-24465 Filed 11-3-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P