[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 147 (Thursday, July 31, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44450-44451]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-18044]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 14286-001]
Haiwee Ridge Pumped Storage Project; Notice of Application for
Amendment of Preliminary Permit Accepted for Filing and Soliciting
Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Protests
On July 2, 2014, Gridflex Energy, LLC on behalf of Haiwee Ridge
Hydro, LLC (permitee), filed an amendment to its preliminary permit
issued on March 23, 2012,\1\ for the proposed Haiwee Ridge Pumped
Storage Project No. 14286 (project) to be located on the South Haiwee
reservoir, near the Town of Olancha, Inyo County, California.\2\ The
project would be located almost entirely on land managed by the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM).
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\1\ 138 FERC ] 62,298.
\2\ On July 15, 2014, Gridflex Energy, LLC, on behalf of Haiwee
Ridge Hydro, LLC, filed a correction to the July 2, 2014 application
to amend the preliminary permit for the Haiwee Ridge Pumped Storage
Project.
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The preliminary permit issued on March 23, 2012, was issued to the
permittee to maintain priority of application for a license during the
term of the permit while the permittee conducts investigations and
secures data necessary to determine the feasibility of the proposed
project and the alternatives it considers. Each of following
alternatives considered would consist of a project with a total
installed capacity of 500 megawatts (MW):
South Haiwee Alternative A: (1) An upper reservoir formed by a 160-
foot-high by 2,270-foot-long, roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam, two
saddle dams (a 35-foot-high by 680-foot-long RCC dam and a 65-foot-high
by 680-foot-long RCC dam) having a total storage capacity of 15,100
acre-feet and a water surface area of 175 acres at full pool elevation
of 5,050 feet msl; (2) a lower reservoir formed by the 81-foot-
[[Page 44451]]
high by 1,555-foot-long potentially rebuilt South Haiwee dam having a
total storage capacity of 46,600 acre-feet and a water surface area of
660 acres at full pool elevation of 3,756 feet msl; (3) approximately
13,150 feet of conduit connecting the upper to the lower reservoir in
three different sections: A 3,000-foot-long by 18.5-foot-diameter,
concrete-lined low-pressure tunnel, a 7,850-foot-long by 18.5-foot-
diameter concrete-lined pressure shaft, and a 2,300-foot-long by 22.2-
foot diameter tailrace; and (4) an underground powerhouse located
roughly 1,500 feet east of South Haiwee reservoir at an elevation of
3,600 feet msl.
South Haiwee Alternative B: (1) An upper reservoir formed by a 210-
foot-high by 1,320-foot-long, RCC dam and a 25-foot-high by 800-foot-
long RCC saddle dam having a total storage capacity of 14,235 acre-feet
and a water surface area of 241 acres at full pool elevation of 5,000
feet msl; (2) a lower reservoir formed by the 91-foot-high by 1,523-
foot-long potentially rebuilt South Haiwee dam having a total storage
capacity of 46,600 acre-feet and a water surface area of 800 acres at
full pool elevation of 3,756 feet msl; (3) approximately 14,700 feet of
conduit connecting the upper to the lower reservoir in three different
sections: A 5,100-foot-long by 18.9-foot-diameter, concrete-lined low-
pressure tunnel, a 5,600-foot-long by 18.9-foot-diameter concrete-lined
pressure shaft, and a 4,000-foot-long by 22.7-foot diameter tailrace;
and (4) an underground powerhouse located roughly 3,300 feet southeast
of South Haiwee reservoir at an elevation of 3,580 feet msl.
New Reservoir Alternative: (1) An upper reservoir formed by a 210-
foot-high by 1,320-foot-long, RCC dam having a total storage capacity
of 14,235 acre-feet and a water surface area of 241 acres at full pool
elevation of 5,000 feet msl; (2) a lower reservoir formed by a 60-foot-
high by 10,600-foot-long RCC dam having a total storage capacity of
46,600 acre-feet and a water surface area of 800 acres at full pool
elevation of 3,756 feet above msl; (3) approximately 12,500 feet of
conduit connecting the upper to the lower reservoir in three different
sections: A 3,750-foot-long by 17.5-foot-diameter, concrete-lined low-
pressure tunnel, a 6,300-foot-long by 17.5-foot-diameter concrete-lined
pressure shaft, and a 2,500-foot-long by 21-foot diameter tailrace; and
(4) an underground located roughly 8,500 feet southwest of South Haiwee
reservoir at an elevation of 3,400 feet msl.
As a result of preliminary investigations, the permittee now
proposes to make the following changes to their issued permit: (1)
Eliminate the lower reservoir from the New Reservoir Alternative (item
2 in the previous paragraph); (2) change the total installed capacity
of Alternative B from 500 MW to 250 MW; and (3) adjust the project
boundary to remove the lands associated with the lower reservoir of the
New Reservoir Alternative and to include additional federal lands,
managed by the BLM, necessary for the proposed project.
Applicant Contact: Mr. Matthew Shapiro, Haiwee Ridge Hydro, LLC.,
1210 W. Franklin St., Ste. 2, Boise, ID 83702; phone (208) 246-9925.
FERC Contact: Kenneth Hogan, 202-502-8434 or via email at:
[email protected].
Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene: 60 days from
the issuance of this notice.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
comments and motions to intervene using the Commission's eFiling system
at 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 [email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or
(202) 502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper
copy to: Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. The first page of any filing should
include docket number P-14286-001.
More information about this project, including a copy of the
amendment 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-14286) in the docket number
field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online
Support.
Dated: July 25, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-18044 Filed 7-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P