87 FR 61 pgs. 18363-18365 - Notice of Application Ready for Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms and Conditions, and Prescriptions; FFP Project 101, LLC
Type: NOTICEVolume: 87Number: 61Pages: 18363 - 18365
Pages: 18363, 18364, 18365Docket number: [Project No. 14861-002]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2022-06695 Filed 3-29-22; 8:45 am]
Agency: Energy Department
Sub Agency: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 14861-002]
Notice of Application Ready for Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms and Conditions, and Prescriptions; FFP Project 101, LLC
Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
a. Type of Application: Original Major License.
b. Project No.: 14861-002.
c. Date filed: June 23, 2020.
d. Applicant: FFP Project 101, LLC (FFP).
e. Name of Project: Goldendale Energy Storage Project (Goldendale Project).
f. Location: Off-stream on the north side of the Columbia River at River Mile 215.6 in Klickitat County, Washington, with transmission facilities extending into Sherman County, Oregon. The project would be located approximately 8 miles southeast of the City of Goldendale, Washington. The project would occupy 18.1 acres of lands owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and administered by the Bonneville Power Administration.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Erik Steimle, Rye Development, 745 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02111; (503) 998-0230; email- erik@ryedevelopment.com.
i. FERC Contact: Michael Tust at (202) 502-6522; or email at michael.tust@ferc.gov.
j. Deadline for filing comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice; reply comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.
[top] The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions using the Commission's eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx.
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.
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued a final rule on July 15, 2020, revising the regulations under 40 CFR parts 1500-1518 that federal agencies use to implement NEPA (see Update to the Regulations Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, 85 FR 43,304). The Final Rule became effective on and applies to any NEPA process begun after September 14, 2020. An agency may also apply the regulations to ongoing activities and environmental documents begun before September 14, 2020, which includes the proposed Goldendale Project. Commission staff intends to conduct its NEPA review in accordance with CEQ's new regulations.
l. The proposed Goldendale Project would include the following new facilities: (1) A 61-acre upper reservoir formed by a 175-foot-high, 8,000-foot-long rockfill embankment dam at an elevation of 2,940 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) with a vertical concrete intake-outlet structure; (2) a 63-acre lower reservoir formed by a 205-foot-high, 6,100-foot-long embankment at an elevation of 580 feet (NGVD 29) with a horizontal concrete intake-outlet structure and vertical steel slide gates; (3) an underground conveyance tunnel system connecting the two reservoirs consisting of a 2,200-foot-long, 29-foot-diameter concrete-lined vertical shaft, a 3,300-foot-long, 29-foot-diameter concrete-lined high pressure tunnel, a 200-foot-long, 22-foot-diameter high pressure manifold tunnel, three 600-foot-long, 15-foot-diameter steel/concrete penstocks, three 200-foot-long, 20-foot-diameter steel-lined draft tube tunnels with bonneted slide gates, a 200-foot-long, 26-foot-diameter concrete-lined low-pressure tunnel, and a 3,200-foot-long, 30-foot-diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel; (4) an underground powerhouse located between the upper and lower reservoir in a 0.83-acre powerhouse cavern containing three, 400-megawatt (MW) Francis-type pump-turbine units for a total installed capacity of 1,200 MW; (5) a 0.48-acre underground transformer cavern adjacent to the powerhouse containing intermediate step-up transformers that will step up the voltage from 18 kilovolts (kV) to 115 kV; (6) two 30-foot-diameter tunnels for accessing the powerhouse and transformer caverns; (7) a 0.84-mile-long, 115-kV underground transmission line extending from the transformer gallery through the combined access/transmission tunnel to where it emerges aboveground near the west side of the lower reservoir and extending an additional 0.27 miles to an outdoor 7.3-acre substation/switchyard where the voltage would be stepped up to 500 kV; (8) a 3.13-mile-long, 500-kV transmission line routed from the substation/switchyard south across the Columbia River and connecting to Bonneville Power Administration's existing John Day Substation; (9) a buried 30-inch-diameter water fill line leading from a shut-off and throttling valve within a non-project water supply vault owned by Klickitat Public Utility District (KPUD) to an outlet structure within the lower reservoir to convey water to fill the reservoirs; and (10) appurtenant facilities. The project would also include an existing 0.7-mile road for accessing the lower reservoir site and an existing 8.6-mile-long road for accessing the upper reservoir site both of which may be modified to provide access for construction vehicles.
The water supply used to initially fill the lower reservoir as well as to provide make-up water would be purchased from KPUD and would be obtained from KPUD's existing intake pond on the Columbia River. The project water fill line would connect to a new KPUD-owned flanged water supply service connection in a water supply vault located near the lower reservoir. Within the vault, and just downstream of the service connection, there would be a project shut-off and throttling valve to control the initial fill and make-up water flow rate into the lower reservoir. The initial fill would require 7,640 acre-feet of water and would be completed in about six months at an average flow rate of approximately 21 cubic feet per second (maximum flow rate available is 35 cubic feet per second). It is estimated that the project would need 360 acre-feet of water each year to replenish water lost through evaporation and seepage.
m. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the Federal Register , the Commission provides all interested persons an opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the internet through the Commission's Home Page ( 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 ( i.e., P-14861). At this time, the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's Public Reference Room, due to the proclamation declaring a National Emergency concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), issued by the President on March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact FERC at FERCOnllineSupport@ferc.gov or call toll-free, (886) 208-3676 or TTY, (202) 502-8659.
[top] 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.
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 water quality certification request; (2) a copy of the water quality certification; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification.
o. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.
Dated: March 24, 2022.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-06695 Filed 3-29-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P