[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 117 (Monday, June 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51324-51325]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13286]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 15306-000]


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

    On March 15, 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 approximately 40 miles northeast of the City of Bakersfield 
in Kern County, California. The proposed project would occupy Federal 
land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest 
Service. 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 use the existing 568,000-acre-foot 
Isabella Reservoir, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as 
its lower reservoir and would include one of three new upper reservoir 
alternatives: Fay Reservoir, Cane Reservoir, and Erskine Reservoir.
    The Fay Reservoir Alternative would consist of the following new 
facilities: (1) a 135-acre Fay Reservoir with a storage capacity of 
19,073 acre-feet at a maximum surface elevation of 5,960 feet above 
mean sea level (msl); (2) a 1,814-foot-long, 650-foot-high roller 
compacted concrete dam; (3) a 0.89-mile-long, 26-foot-diameter 
concrete-lined headrace tunnel; (4) a 0.21-mile-long, 23-foot-diameter 
concrete-lined vertical shaft; (5) a 6.22-mile-long, 23-foot-diameter 
concrete-lined horizontal shaft; (6) five 0.09-mile-long, 15-foot-
diameter penstocks; (7) a 500-foot-long, 125-foot-wide, 150-foot-high 
concrete powerhouse containing five pump-turbine generator units rated 
at 560 megawatts each; (8) a 1.29-mile-long, 28-foot-diameter tailrace 
tunnel; and (9) appurtenant facilities. The average annual energy 
production of the proposed project is estimated to be approximately 
6,900 gigawatt-hours.
    The Cane Reservoir Alternative would consist of the following new 
facilities: (1) a 185-acre Cane Reservoir with a storage capacity of 
29,770 acre-feet at a

[[Page 51325]]

maximum surface elevation of 4,740 feet msl; (2) a 3,167-foot-long, 
470-foot-high roller compacted concrete dam; (3) a 0.53-mile-long, 32-
foot-diameter concrete-lined headrace tunnel; (4) a 0.12-mile-long, 29-
foot-diameter concrete-lined vertical shaft; (5) a 3.66-mile-long, 29-
foot-diameter concrete-lined horizontal shaft; (6) five 0.05-mile-long, 
18-foot-diameter penstocks; (7) a 500-foot-long, 125-foot-wide, 150-
foot-high concrete powerhouse containing five pump-turbine generator 
units rated at 560 megawatts each; (8) a 0.76-mile-long, 34-foot-
diameter tailrace tunnel; and (9) appurtenant facilities. The average 
annual energy production of the proposed project is estimated to be 
approximately 6,900 gigawatt-hours.
    The Erskine Reservoir Alternative would consist of the following 
new facilities: (1) a 400-acre Erskine Reservoir with a storage 
capacity of 34,459 acre-feet at a maximum surface elevation of 4,500 
feet msl; (2) a 2,685-foot-long, 370-foot-high roller compacted 
concrete dam; (3) a 0.92-mile-long, 34-foot-diameter concrete-lined 
headrace tunnel; (4) a 0.21-mile-long, 30-foot-diameter concrete-lined 
vertical shaft; (5) a 6.44-mile-long, 30-foot-diameter concrete-lined 
horizontal shaft; (6) five 0.09-mile-long, 19-foot-diameter penstocks; 
(7) a 500-foot-long, 125-foot-wide, 150-foot-high concrete powerhouse 
containing five pump-turbine generator units rated at 560 megawatts 
each; (8) a 1.34-mile-long, 36-foot-diameter tailrace tunnel; and (9) 
appurtenant facilities. The average annual energy production of the 
proposed project is estimated to be approximately 6,900 gigawatt-hours.
    The proposed project would interconnect to the grid at either 
Southern California Edison's Kernville-Isabella or Isabella-Weldon 
transmission lines via a 26- to 28-mile-long 500-kilovolt project 
transmission line.
    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.
    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].
    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/.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: 
Secretary Kimberly Bose, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street NE, 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-
15306-000.
    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-15306) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: June 11, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-13286 Filed 6-14-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P