[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 117 (Monday, June 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51330-51331]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13285]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 15345-000]


Nightfall Renewables Inc.; Notice of Preliminary Permit 
Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To 
Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On February 26, 2024, Nightfall Renewables Inc., 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 
Maxwell Pumped Storage Project to be located in Kern County, California 
near Rosamond, California. The proposed 3,600-megawatt closed-loop 
project would occupy federal land managed by the Bureau of Land 
Management. 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 proposed project would consist of: (1) four new roller-
compacted concrete or rockfill dams upper dams and reservoirs, and 36 
lower reservoirs, excavated from rock consisting of 16 ``rooms'', each 
50 feet wide, 70 feet high, and 200 feet-long; (2) four 3,000-feet-
long/deep, 24-foot-diameter concrete lined, vertical headrace shafts; 
(3) nine 20-foot-wide, 20-foot-high headrace tunnels averaging 5,150 
feet long; (4) thirty six 12-foot-diameter, 160-foot-long steel 
penstock pipes at the powerhouse turbine level; (5) twelve 300-foot-
long, 100-foot-wide, 230-foot-high powerhouses excavated from rock 
approximately 5,000 feet below surface; (6) a transformer room 36 feet 
wide, 25 feet high, and 190 feet long located approximately 260 feet 
above each powerhouse; (7) thirty six sets of 18-foot-wide, 16-foot-
high, 435-foot-long unlined turbine tailraces; foot-wide, 16-foot-high, 
410-foot-long on average unlined pump intake tailraces; and 12-foot-
diameter, 200-foot-long steel pipe pump discharge tailraces; (8) two 
access ramps and 35 access tunnels, all approximately 18 feet wide and 
16 feet high, totaling approximately 105,000 feet in length; (9) an 
approximately 5,560-foot-long, 1,780-foot-wide, 160-acre rock pad; (10) 
a new 9.5-mile-long, 8-inch-diameter pipe connecting the project to an 
existing untreated water pipe; and (11) two new 500-foot-long, 100-
foot-wide pre-fabricated steel buildings.
    Upper reservoir dam 1 would be approximately 1,740 feet long and 40 
feet wide at the crest, creating upper reservoir 1, with a surface area 
of approximately 29.1 acres, a storage capacity of approximately 2,420 
acre-feet, and a surface elevation of 5,120 feet above mean sea level 
(msl). Upper reservoir dam 2 would be approximately 1,300 feet long and 
40 feet wide at the crest, creating upper reservoir 2, with a surface 
area of approximately 27.1 acres, a storage capacity of approximately 
2,760 acre-feet, and a surface elevation of 4,920 feet msl. Upper 
reservoir dam 3 will be approximately 1,280 feet long and 60 feet wide 
at the crest, creating upper reservoir 3, with a surface area of 
approximately 26.6 acres, a storage capacity of approximately 2,435 
acre-feet, and a surface elevation of 4,880 feet msl. Upper reservoir 
dam 4 will be approximately 1,120 feet long and 60 feet wide at the 
crest, creating upper reservoir 4, with a surface area of approximately 
24.3 acres, a storage capacity of approximately 2,385 acre-feet, and a 
surface elevation of 4,720 feet MSL.
    A new substation (Maxwell Substation) would be constructed, 
bifurcating two existing Southern California Edison (SCE) 500-kilovolt 
(kV) single-circuit transmission lines. A second transmission line 
would be constructed from the Maxwell Substation to the SCE Whirlwind 
Substation. A new 3.5-mile-long 500-kV double-circuit transmission line 
would

[[Page 51331]]

be constructed from the Maxwell Substation to connect to the 
powerhouses. A sub-surface line would connect to the underground 
powerhouse transformers. The estimated annual energy production of the 
proposed project would be approximately 14,000,000 megawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contacts: Mr. Benjamin Wayne Mossman, Chief Executive 
Director, Nightfall Renewable Resources 30001 Lava Ridge Court, Suite 
120, Roseville, CA 95661; email: [email protected]; 
phone (530) 557-9524.
    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'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/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. 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-15345-000.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the ``eLibrary'' link of the 
Commission's website at https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search. 
Enter the docket number (P-15345) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, do not hesitate to get in touch with FERC 
Online Support.

    Dated: June 11, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-13285 Filed 6-14-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P