[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55257-55259]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14671]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 96-048]


Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Application Accepted 
for Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for 
Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, 
Preliminary Terms and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions

    Take notice that the following license application has been filed 
with the Commission and is available for public inspection.

    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 96-048.
    c. Date filed: November 24, 2020.
    d. Applicant: Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).
    e. Name of Project: Kerckhoff Hydroelectric Project (Kerckhoff 
Project).
    f. Location: The existing project is located on the San Joaquin 
River, in Fresno and Madera Counties, California. The project occupies 
328.1 acres of Federal land administered by the United States Forest 
Service and Bureau of Land Management.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Dave Gabbard, Vice President, Pacific 
Generation Pacific Gas and Electric Company, 300 Lakeside Drive, 
Oakland, CA 94612.
    i. FERC Contact: Evan Williams, (202) 502-8462, 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, 
recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary 
prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice; reply 
comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene, protests, comments, recommendations, preliminary 
terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions 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. 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. All filings must clearly identify the project name and docket 
number on the first page: Kerckhoff Hydroelectric Project (P-96-048).
    The Commission's Rules of Practice require all intervenors filing 
documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each 
person on the official service list for the project. Further, if an 
intervenor files comments or documents with the Commission relating to 
the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a 
particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document 
on that resource agency.
    k. This application has been accepted and is ready for 
environmental analysis at this time.
    l. The existing Kerckhoff Project consists of: (1) a 175-acre, 3-
mile-long impoundment at normal full pond elevation 985.0 feet; (2) a 
114.5-foot-high, 507-foot-long concrete arch dam with a spillway crest 
of 91 feet that includes: (a) fourteen 14.3-foot-high by 20-foot-wide 
radial gates, and (b) three 72-inch-diameter low-level outlet pipes at 
an elevation of 897.0 feet, with a maximum combined discharge capacity 
of 3,900 cubic feet per second; (3) a 75-foot-long, 18-inch-diameter 
instream flow pipe; (4) two powerhouse facilities (Kerckhoff 1 and 
Kerckhoff 2); and (5) appurtenant facilities.
    The Project's Kerckhoff 1 (K1) powerhouse and associated facilities 
include: (1) a 73.3-foot-high, 29.5-foot by 26-foot-wide reinforced 
concrete intake structure located in Kerckhoff Reservoir; (2) a 16,913-
foot-long, 17-foot-wide by 17-foot-high unlined tunnel; (3) two 
approximately 120-foot-long, 20-foot in cross section adits; (4) one 
approximately 507.5-foot-long, 16- to-18-foot in cross section adit; 
(5) a 75-foot-high, unlined vertical shaft surge chamber with a 40-foot 
maximum diameter lower section and 17-foot maximum diameter upper 
section; (6) one 913-foot-long, 84-to- 96-inch-diameter steel penstock; 
(7) one 946-foot-long, 84-to- 96-inch-diameter steel penstock; (8) an 
approximately 45-foot-wide by 99-foot-long reinforced concrete 
powerhouse containing three vertical reaction-type Francis turbine 
units; and (9) appurtenant facilities. The project's K1 transmission 
facilities include: (1) a switchyard located on a steep hillside 
immediately behind the powerhouse; (2) two transformer banks consisting 
of one, three-phase and seven, single-phase 6.6/115-kilovolt (kV) 
transformers; and (3) three, 115-kV circuit breakers. Three sets of 
non-project 115-kV transmission lines exit the switchyard.
    K1 Powerhouse Unit No. 2 is not operational and was removed from 
the current project license in 2013. K1 Powerhouse Units No. 1 and No. 
3 are rated at 11.36 megawatts (MW) each for an authorized installed 
capacity of 22.72 MW; however, both units have not operated since 2017. 
The three adits were sealed with concrete walls about 200 feet from 
their entrances, effectively eliminating access to the adits and to the 
tunnel via the adits. K1 penstock No. 2 is no longer operational; it 
was abandoned in place and removed from the current project license in 
2013. PG&E permanently closed and sealed the main shutoff and bypass 
valves at K1 penstock No. 2, removed an approximately 12-foot-long 
section of the penstock immediately downstream of the shutoff valve, 
removed exposed air valves and cap, and permanently closed the turbine 
shutoff valve.
    The project's Kerckhoff 2 (K2) powerhouse and associated facilities 
include: (1) a 63-foot-high, 43-foot by 52-foot-wide reinforced 
concrete intake structure located in Kerckhoff Reservoir; (2) a 21,632-
foot-long, 24-foot-diameter unlined tunnel; (3) an 8-foot-diameter adit 
tunnel; (4) a 216.8-foot-high, vertical shaft surge chamber composed of 
a 20-foot-diameter lower section, a

[[Page 55258]]

71-foot-diameter middle section, and a 110-foot-diameter upper section, 
capped at the surface by a 34-foot-high, 111.5-foot-diameter above-
ground steel surge tank; (5) one approximately 1,013-foot-long penstock 
composed of three sections: (a) a 481-foot-long, 20-foot-diameter 
concrete-lined upper section; (b) a 338-foot-long, 18-foot-diameter 
concrete-lined middle section; and (c) a 194-foot-long, 15-foot-
diameter steel-lined lower section; (6) an approximately 85-foot-
diameter, 124-foot-high three-floor (basement floor, turbine floor, and 
generator floor) underground powerhouse chamber containing one vertical 
shaft, Francis-type turbine rated at 140 MW; (7) an approximately 531-
foot-long, 25-foot-diameter concrete-lined discharge tunnel, with two 
19-foot-high, 13-foot-wide gates; (8) a 40-foot-wide open tailrace 
channel; and (9) appurtenant facilities. The project's K2 transmission 
facilities include: (1) an approximately 152-foot-wide by 177-foot-long 
switchyard located at ground level immediately above the underground 
powerhouse; (2) a transformer; and (3) four, 115-kV circuit breakers. 
Two sets of non-project 115-kV transmission lines exit the switchyard. 
From 1984 to 2019, with both powerhouses in operation, average annual 
generation was approximately 471,424 megawatt-hours.
    PG&E operates the project for power generation, making use of 
available flows from upstream hydroelectric projects. The project 
operates in a run-of-river mode because of the project reservoir's 
limited storage capacity. Water used by the project for power 
generation is released back into the San Joaquin River and flows into 
Millerton Lake, a United States Bureau of Reclamation facility, located 
immediately downstream of the K2 Powerhouse.
    The San Joaquin River basin upstream of the project is extensively 
developed for hydroelectric power generation, which influences the 
timing and magnitude of inflows into the project. Current operational 
requirements include flow requirements to protect American shad and 
water temperature requirements to protect smallmouth bass. PG&E is 
required to discharge a minimum flow of 25 cubic feet per second (cfs) 
downstream of Kerckhoff Dam during normal water years and a minimum 
flow of 15 cfs during dry water years. Minimum flows are temporarily 
modified in response to operating emergencies and for fishery 
management purposes upon agreement between PG&E and the California 
Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Additional releases can be 
determined necessary by CDFW to maintain stream temperatures and to 
flush sediments in the streambed below Kerckhoff Dam. Kerckhoff 
Reservoir has an estimated capacity of 2,434 acre-feet of usable 
capacity at normal maximum water surface elevation and is generally 
operated as a forebay with no seasonal targets, therefore maintaining 
storage relatively constant at near full pool. Although, operational 
limitations of the K2 Powerhouse result in an operational storage of 
the reservoir of 692 acre-feet. PG&E has primarily operated the K1 
Powerhouse only when the K2 Powerhouse is offline, at capacity, or 
during the American shad spawning releases; although, the K1 Powerhouse 
has not been operational since 2017. The K2 Powerhouse has a rough 
operating zone that occurs during flows of approximately 1,750 cfs to 
3,200 cfs that generate 45-92 MW. To manage the rough operating zone, 
PG&E does not allow the unit to linger in the 45-92 MW range. Instead, 
the K2 Powerhouse operates above or below the range, in order to avoid 
damaging equipment. Further, the K2 Powerhouse cannot operate with 
flows less than approximately 580 cfs.
    PG&E proposes to modify the existing project boundary to encompass 
all land and facilities necessary for operation and maintenance of the 
project and remove land and facilities that are not necessary for 
operation and maintenance of the project. PG&E proposes to decrease the 
boundary around Kerckhoff Reservoir and Dam, Smalley Cove Recreation 
Area and the adjacent dispersed day use area, the K1 and K2 
developments, A.G. Wilson powerhouse that includes a non-project 12-
kilvolt line and telephone line, the fiber optics and 12-kV 
distribution lines running from the K2 Switchyard to a non-project 
substation, and Access Road 6. PG&E proposes to increase the boundary 
to encompass the J-2 gage site and its associated facilities, the K2 
Penstock Construction Access Tunnel Drainage Channel, the upstream 
extent of Kerckhoff Reservoir at its normal maximum surface water 
elevation, the proposed, currently-named Vista Day Use Area, the 
proposed San Joaquin River above Kerckhoff Reservoir Inflow Gage, and 
at various locations around project facilities to facilitate vegetation 
management activities. With these proposed changes, the area of PG&E-
owned land within the project boundary will decrease to 125.6 acres, 
and Federal lands will decrease to 227.6 acres. The area of private 
lands encompassed by the project boundary will increase to 49.4 acres.
    PG&E proposes to retire the K1 Powerhouse by making certain 
facilities, including turbine-related facilities, Adits 1 and 2, surge 
chamber, penstocks, and headworks, inoperable. However, PG&E proposes 
to retain, as operable for ongoing project operation and maintenance, 
the: (1) K1 intake structure, tunnel, and North Adit to continue 
providing instream flow releases; (2) the K1 Powerhouse building for 
operations support; and (3) the K1 switchyard because it is part of the 
electric transmission system. PG&E does not propose modifications to 
the project boundary to remove the K1 powerhouse or associated 
facilities.
    PG&E proposes to construct a new recreation day use area (currently 
named the Vista Day Use Area) with a connecting trail to BLM's existing 
San Joaquin River Trail.
    PG&E proposes to install one new flow gage upstream of Kerckhoff 
Reservoir and downstream of Southern California Edison's Big Creek No. 
4 Powerhouse within 4 years of license issuance to measure San Joaquin 
River flow data at the location and provide data publicly on the 
internet.
    PG&E proposes to upgrade two currently manually operated radial 
gates on the Kerckhoff Dam to be automatically operated adding a remote 
terminal unit to connect to the supervisory control and data 
acquisition (or SCADA) system, which would include upgrading the 
electronic communications, programming automatic control of the K2 
Powerhouse, and calibrating the upgraded gates; and adding a generator 
to provide backup power.
    PG&E further proposes the following plans and measures to protect 
and enhance environmental resources: (1) Proposed Retirement Plan for 
Kerckhoff 1 Powerhouse and Associated Facilities; (2) American Shad 
Spawning Season Flow Release Regime Measure; (3) Aquatic Resources 
Plan; (4) Water Temperature Measure; (5) End-of-Spill Flow Recession 
and Whitewater Flow Releases Measure; (6) Subsequent Spill Ramp Down 
Measure; (7) Spill Season Flow Measure; (8) Planned Outage Measure; (9) 
Flow Notifications Measure; (10) San Joaquin River above Kerckhoff 
Reservoir Inflow Gage Measure; (11) Modification of Infrastructure and 
Procedures Measure; (12) Wildlife Management Plan; (13) Vegetation 
Management and Pest Control Plan; (14) Project Road and Trail 
Maintenance Plan; (15) Recreation Management Plan; (16) Whitewater 
Notification and Access Measure and (17) Historic Properties Management 
Plan.

[[Page 55259]]

    m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission's 
website at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the 
docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number 
field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online 
Support at [email protected] or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 
or (202) 502-8659 (TTY).
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``COMMENTS'', ``REPLY COMMENTS'', ``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``TERMS AND 
CONDITIONS,'' or ``PRESCRIPTIONS;'' (2) set forth in the heading the 
name of the applicant and the project number of the application to 
which the filing responds; (3) furnish the name, address, and telephone 
number of the person submitting the filing; and (4) otherwise comply 
with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All 
comments, recommendations, terms and conditions or prescriptions must 
set forth their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the 
requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may obtain copies of the 
application directly from the applicant. Each filing must be 
accompanied by proof of service on all persons listed on the service 
list prepared by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 
18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
    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].
    You may also register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    n. The applicant must file no later than 60 days following the date 
of issuance of this notice either: (1) evidence of the date on which 
the certifying agency received the certification request; (2) a copy of 
the water quality certification; or (3) evidence of waiver of water 
quality certification.
    o. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as 
appropriate.

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                Milestone                           Target date
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Deadline for Filing Comments,             August 2024.
 Recommendations, and Agency Terms and
 Conditions/Prescriptions.
Licensee's Reply to REA Comments........  October 2024.
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    p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.

    Dated: June 27, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-14671 Filed 7-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P