[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 232 (Monday, December 3, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 71590]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-29079]



[[Page 71590]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14467-000]


 New England Hydropower Company, LLC; Notice of Preliminary 
Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions 
To Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On November 9, 2012, the New England Hydropower Company, 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 
Cochrane Dam Hydroelectric Project (Cochrane Dam Project or project) to 
be located on the Charles River, near Needham and Dover, Norfolk 
County, Massachusetts. 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) An 
existing 15-foot-high, 200-foot-long stone masonry spillway dam with 
concrete retaining walls; (2) an existing impoundment with a 5.1-acre 
surface area and a normal storage capacity of 640 acre-feet at an 
operating elevation of about 102.3 feet above mean sea level (msl); (3) 
an existing 30-foot-long, 18-foot-wide, and 10-foot-deep head box and 
intake channel; (4) a new 6-foot-high, 14-foot-wide sluice gate 
equipped with a 14-foot-high, 21-foot-wide trashrack with 6-inch bar 
spacing; (5) a new 50-foot-long, 13-foot wide Archimedes screw 
generator unit with an installed capacity of 170 kilowatts; (6) a new 
10-foot-high, 18-foot-long, 18-foot-wide powerhouse containing a new 
gearbox and electrical controls; (7) an existing 375-foot-long, 20-
foot-wide, and 4-foot-deep tailrace; (8) a new above ground 300-foot-
long, 35-kilovolt transmission line connecting the powerhouse to the 
NSTAR regional grid; and (9) appurtenant facilities. The estimated 
annual generation of the proposed Cochrane Dam Project would be about 
811 megawatt-hours. The existing Cochrane Dam and appurtenant works, 
including a former powerhouse foundation and intake structures, are 
owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and operated by the 
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
    Applicant Contact: Mr. Michael C. Kerr, New England Hydropower 
Company, LLC, P.O. Box 5524, Beverly Farms, Massachusetts 01915; phone: 
(978) 360-2547.
    FERC Contact: John Ramer; phone: (202) 502-8969 or email: 
john.ramer@ferc.gov.
    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. Comments, motions to intervene, notices of intent, and 
competing applications may be filed electronically via the Internet. 
See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's 
Web site http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can 
submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior 
registration, using the eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You must include your name and contact information 
at the end of your comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online 
Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, 
or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. Although the Commission strongly encourages 
electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, 
mail an original and seven copies to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, 
DC 20426.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the ``eLibrary'' link of 
Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-14467) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: November 26, 2012.
 Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-29079 Filed 11-30-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P