[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5885-5886]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01730]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 15307-000]


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

    On March 17, 2023, 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 to 
be located 10 miles south of the of the unincorporated community of 
Olancha in Inyo County, California. 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 project would be a closed-loop pumped storage 
hydropower facility. The applicant proposes three alternative upper 
reservoirs: McCloud Reservoir, Little Cactus Reservoir, or Haiwee 
Canyon Reservoir. The proposed North Haiwee 2 Reservoir would be the 
lower reservoir for each alternative.

Upper Reservoir Alternative 1: McCloud Reservoir

    The McCloud Reservoir alternative consists of: (1) a 504-acre upper 
reservoir having a total storage capacity of 44,554 acre-feet at a 
normal maximum operating elevation of 5,260 feet mean sea level (msl); 
(2) a 175-foot-high, 3,068-foot-long roller compacted concrete upper 
reservoir dam; (3) a 2.41-mile-long, 39-foot-diameter concrete-lined 
headrace tunnel; (4) a 0.2-mile-long, 35-foot-diameter concrete-lined 
vertical shaft; (5) a 5.6-mile-long, 35-foot-diameter concrete-lined 
horizontal tunnel; (6) six 0.78-mile-long, 22-foot-diameter steel 
penstocks; (7) a 585-foot-long, 90-foot-wide, 165-foot-high concrete-
lined powerhouse located in an underground cavern, housing five pump-
turbine generator-motor units rated for 400 megawatts (MW) each; and 
(8) a 0.68-mile-long, 42-foot-diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel 
discharging into the proposed North Haiwee 2 Reservoir.

Upper Reservoir Alternative 2: Little Cactus Reservoir

    The Little Cactus Reservoir alternative consists of: (1) a 499-acre 
upper reservoir having a total storage capacity of 47,021 acre-feet at 
a normal maximum operating elevation of 4,980 feet msl; (2) a 235-foot-
high, 2,836-foot-long roller compacted concrete upper reservoir dam; 
(3) a 1.06-mile-long, 39-foot-diameter concrete-lined headrace tunnel; 
(4) a 0.16-mile-long, 35-foot-diameter concrete-lined vertical shaft; 
(5) a 4-mile-long, 35-foot-diameter concrete-lined horizontal tunnel; 
(6) six 0.7-mile-long, 22-foot-diameter steel penstocks; (7) a 585-
foot-long, 90-foot-wide, 165-foot-high concrete-lined powerhouse 
located in an underground cavern, housing five pump-turbine generator-
motor units rated for 400 MW each; and (8) a 0.78-mile-long, 42-foot-
diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel discharging into the proposed 
North Haiwee 2 Reservoir.

Upper Reservoir Alternative 3: Haiwee Canyon Reservoir

    The Haiwee Canyon Reservoir alternative consists of: (1) a 138-acre 
upper reservoir having a total storage capacity of 28,620 acre-feet at 
a normal maximum operating elevation of 6,160 feet msl; (2) a 595-foot-
high, 2,256-foot-long roller compacted concrete upper reservoir dam; 
(3) a 1.64-mile-long, 31-foot-diameter concrete-lined headrace tunnel; 
(4) a 0.32-mile-long, 28-foot-diameter concrete-lined vertical shaft; 
(5) a 5.2-mile-long, 28-foot-diameter concrete-lined horizontal tunnel; 
(6) six 0.54-mile-long, 18-foot-diameter steel penstocks; (7) a 585-
foot-long, 90-foot-wide, 165-foot-high concrete-lined powerhouse 
located in an underground cavern, housing five pump-turbine generator-
motor units rated for 400 MW each; and (8) a 0.8-mile-long, 33-foot-
diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel discharging into the proposed 
North Haiwee 2 Reservoir.

Lower Reservoir: North Haiwee 2 Reservoir

    The proposed North Haiwee 2 Reservoir would consist of: (1) a 320-
acre lower reservoir having a total storage capacity 38,350 acre-feet 
at a normal maximum operating elevation of 3,770 feet msl; and (2) a 
160-foot-high, 7,090-foot-long roller compacted concrete lower 
reservoir dam.

Interconnection

    For each upper reservoir alternative, project power would be 
transmitted to the grid via: (1) a new, 2.5-mile-long, 500 kilovolt 
(kV) underground transmission line extending from the powerhouse to the 
proposed North Haiwee switchyard (the point of interconnection); and 
(2) appurtenant facilities. The estimated annual generation of the 
Haiwee Project under each of the alternatives would be 6,900 gigawatt-
hours.
    Applicant Contact: Mr. Victor Rojas, Premium Energy Holdings, LLC, 
355 South Lemon Ave., Suite A, Walnut, CA 91789; 
[email protected]; phone: (909) 595-5314.
    FERC Contact: Everard Baker; email: [email protected]; phone: 
(202) 502-8554.
    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/FERCOnline.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 at 
[email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, you may submit a paper copy. 
Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: 
Debbie-Anne Reese, Acting Secretary Federal Energy

[[Page 5886]]

Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426. 
Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Debbie-
Anne Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The first page of any 
filing should include docket number P-15307-000.
    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-15307) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: January 23, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-01730 Filed 1-29-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P