[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 117 (Monday, June 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51334-51335]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13288]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 15108-000]


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

    On March 10, 2021, 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 San 
Onofre Ocean Pumped Storage Project (San Onofre Project or project), an 
ocean pumped storage power plant to be located in San Diego County, 
California. The project would occupy federal land managed by the 
Department of Defense, Camp Pendleton. 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 consist of the following: (1) a new 266-
foot-high embankment with a total crest length of 3,850 feet, creating 
the 26,400 acre-foot upper reservoir, called San Onofre reservoir, with 
a maximum surface elevation of 915 feet above mean sea level (msl); (2) 
two proposed alternatives to draw water from the Pacific Ocean for the 
fill-up process of the proposed San Onofre reservoir and for normal 
operation: (a) impound intake/discharge facility (Lagoon), including a 
new proposed semi-open lower reservoir in the ocean close to the coast, 
cutting part of the existing submarine cooling pipes to an estimated 
length of 1,400 feet, constructing a new breakwater embankment around 
the lagoon to create this ocean reservoir, and constructing a pier to 
connect the beach and the breakwater embankment; (b) open intake/
discharge using the ocean as the lower reservoir, consisting cutting 
part of the existing submarine cooling pipes to an estimated length of 
2,500 feet; either alternative requires a new section of pipes that 
will reroute the existing cooling pipes assembly to the proposed 
powerhouse; (3) a 41-foot-diameter, 1.2-mile-long hydro power penstock 
to connect to the new San Onofre pump storage plant, and from there to 
the Pacific Ocean; (4) three additional upper reservoirs with maximum 
surface elevation of 915 feet above msl and storage capacity of 2,300-, 
3,500-, and 6,800-acre-foot, to increase the storage capacity acting as 
a reserve in case of need for generation beyond the capacity of the 
main reservoir; (5) a new powerhouse containing six 250-megawatt (MW) 
pump-generator sets with a total installed capacity of 1,500 MW; (6) an 
array of four velocity caps at the end of each existing submersible 
pipe, that were used to draw water from the ocean for pumping, to 
reduce water velocity to values about 1 ft/sec or less; (7) a fish 
deterrent system at the end of each existing submersible pipe; (8) a 
new underground drainpipe for San Onofre reservoir spill water; (9) 
nine existing transmission lines that belong to SCE and SDG&E, and are 
operated by CAISO and interconnect the proposed San Onofre plant 
substation to the existing 220-kilovolt switchyard; and (10) 
appurtenant facilities. The estimated average annual generation of the 
San Onofre Project will be 5,250 gigawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contact: Victor M. Rojas, Premium Energy Holdings LLC, 
355 South Lemon Ave., Suite A, Walnut, CA 91789; phone: (909) 595-5314.
    FERC Contact: Khatoon Melick, (202) 502-8433, 
[email protected].
    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 making 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/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. 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 A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. 
Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Debbie-
Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The first page of any 
filing should include docket number P-15108-000.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can

[[Page 51335]]

be viewed or printed on the ``eLibrary'' link of Commission's website 
at https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search. Enter the docket number 
(P-15108) 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. 2024-13288 Filed 6-14-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P