[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 14, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11267-11268]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03017]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[GDO Docket No. PP-503]


Application for Presidential Permit; Basin Electric Power 
Cooperative

AGENCY: Grid Deployment Office, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of application.

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SUMMARY: Basin Electric Power Cooperative (the Applicant or Basin 
Electric) has filed an application requesting a new Presidential permit 
to allow for the construction, connection, operation, and maintenance 
of facilities for transmission of electric energy at the international 
border between North Dakota and Saskatchewan, Canada.

DATES: Comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be submitted on 
or before March 15, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Comments, protests, or motions to intervene should be 
addressed by electronic mail to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christina Gomer, (240) 474-2403, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The construction, operation, maintenance, 
and connection of facilities at the international border of the United 
States for the transmission of electric energy between the United 
States and a foreign country is prohibited in the absence of a 
Presidential permit issued by the Secretary of Energy pursuant to 
Executive Order (E.O.) 10485, as amended by E.O. 12038. On April 10, 
2023, the authority to issue such permits was delegated to the DOE's 
Grid Deployment Office by Delegation Order No. S1-DEL-S3-2023 and 
Redelegation Order No. S3-DEL-GD1-2023.
    On November 9, 2023, Basin Electric filed an application 
(Application or App.) with the Department of Energy (DOE) for a 
Presidential Permit to construct the Tande and Wheelock to Saskatchewan 
230-kV Transmission Project.\1\ App. at 1.
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    \1\ On January 17, 2023, Basin Electric also filed a revised 
Application in response to DOE feedback on its November filing. The 
references to the Application in this notice reflect the latest 
revisions submitted by Basin Electric.
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    Basin Electric is an electric power generation and transmission 
cooperative headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota. Id. The Applicant 
generates and transmits wholesale electricity to 141-member rural 
electric cooperatives located in a nine-state service area, which 
serves three million customers on their respective systems. Id.
    Basin Electric's proposed project ``includes two new 230-kV 
electric transmission lines from existing substations in North Dakota 
(ND) to the Canadian Border.'' Id. According to the Application, 
Saskatchewan Power Corporation (SaskPower), ``a generation and 
transmission provider in Saskatchewan, will construct the transmission 
lines from the border to a new substation in Canada, approximately five 
miles north of the border.'' Id. The Applicant intends to route one 
circuit from the Wheelock substation near Ray, North Dakota, and the 
second circuit from Tande substation near Tioga, North Dakota. Id. Each 
circuit would require a separate border crossing. Id.
    The Southwest Power Pool approved the project in 2022, and Basin 
Electric is the designated transmission owner for the upgrade in the 
United States. App. at 1. The project would provide export and import 
capabilities of up to 650 megawatts. Id.
    Procedural Matters: Any person desiring to be heard in this 
proceeding should file a comment or protest to the Application at 
[email protected]. Protests should be filed in accordance 
with Rule 211 of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC's) Rules 
of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211). Any person desiring to 
become a party to this proceeding should file a motion to intervene at 
[email protected] in accordance with FERC Rule 214 (18 CFR 
385.214).
    Comments and other filings concerning Basin Electric's Application 
should be clearly marked with Docket No. PP-503. Additional copies are 
to be provided directly to Anine Merkens, Staff Counsel, Basin 
Electric, [email protected]; Erin Dukart, Director, Environmental 
Services, Basin Electric, [email protected]; and Bob Nasset, Civil 
Engineering, Basin Electric, [email protected].
    Before a Presidential permit may be issued, DOE must determine 
whether the proposed action is in the public interest. In making that 
determination, DOE will consider the environmental impacts of the 
proposed action (i.e., granting the Presidential permit, with any 
conditions and limitations, or denying the permit) pursuant to DOE's 
National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures (10 CFR part 
1021); determine the Applicant's proposed project's impact on electric 
reliability by ascertaining whether the proposed project would 
adversely affect the operation of the U.S. electric power supply system 
under normal and contingency conditions; and weigh any other factors 
that DOE may also consider relevant to the public interest. DOE also 
must obtain the favorable recommendation of the Secretary of State and 
the Secretary of Defense before taking final action on a Presidential 
permit application.
    Basin's Application may be reviewed or downloaded electronically at 
www.energy.gov/gdo/pending-applications-0 or by emailing 
[email protected].
    Signing Authority: This document of the Department of Energy was 
signed on February 8, 2024, by Maria Robinson, Director, 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

[[Page 11268]]

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 February 9, 2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024-03017 Filed 2-13-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P