[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 246 (Wednesday, December 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 79875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32271]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2335-039]
Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC; Notice of Application Tendered
for Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for
Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments
Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
a. Type of Application: New Major License.
b. Project No.: 2335-039.
c. Date Filed: December 11, 2015.
d. Applicant: Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC (White Pine Hydro).
e. Name of Project: Williams Hydroelectric Project (Williams
Project).
f. Location: The existing project is located on the Kennebec River
in Somerset County, Maine. The project does not occupy federal lands.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Ms. Kelly Maloney, Manager of Licensing and
Compliance, Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC, 150 Main Street, Lewiston,
ME 04240; Telephone: (207) 755-5606.
i. FERC Contact: Amy Chang, (202) 502-8250 or [email protected].
j. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this
time.
k. The Project Description: The Williams Project has a total
installed capacity of 13-megawatts (MW). The project's average annual
generation is 96,731 megawatt-hours. The power generated by the project
is sold on the open market into the regional grid.
The existing project consists of: (a) A 894.7-foot-long, 45.0-foot-
high dam that includes: (i) A 202-foot-long, 15-foot-high east earth
embankment section with a concrete core wall; (ii) a 244-foot-long, 32-
foot-high stone masonry and concrete spillway section at the west end
of the east earth embankment section with six 32.5-foot-wide, 20.5-
foot-high Tainter gates; (iii) a 71.3-foot-long, 19.5-foot-high stone
masonry and concrete abutment section at the west end of the spillway
section; (iv) a 203.3-foot-long, 26.5-foot-high stone masonry and
concrete stanchion bay section at the west end of the abutment section
with two 65.9-foot-wide, 17.5-foot-high and one 46.8-foot-wide, 17.5-
foot-high stanchion bays; (v) a 27-foot-long bulkhead section at the
west end of the stanchion bay section with a 20.5-foot-wide, 7.0-foot-
high surface weir gate and a 6.0-foot-wide, 12.3-foot-high Tainter gate
at the upstream end of a steel-lined sluiceway; (vi) a 95.5-foot-wide
intake and powerhouse section at the west end of the bulkhead section
that varies in height from 45.5 feet to 49.4 feet and includes four
headgates and two double-bay trashracks with 3.5-inch clear-bar
spacing; and (vii) a 51.6-foot-long, 10.5-foot-high concrete cut-off
wall at the west end of the intake and powerhouse section; (b) a 400-
acre impoundment with a gross storage volume of 4,575 acre-feet and a
useable storage volume of 2,065 acre-feet at a normal maximum elevation
of 320 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum; (c) a 40.5-foot-wide,
105.5-foot-long concrete powerhouse that is integral with the dam and
contains two turbine-generator units rated at 6 and 7 MW; (d) a 6,000-
foot-long excavated tailrace that varies from 150 to 175 feet wide; (e)
a 200-foot-long generator lead and a 310-foot-long generator lead that
connect the turbine-generator units to the regional grid; and (f)
appurtenant facilities.
The Williams Project operates in a store-and-release mode where the
impoundment level is fluctuated up to six feet daily to regulate
downstream flow and meet peak demands for hydroelectric generation. The
existing license requires an instantaneous minimum flow of 1,360 cubic
feet per second, or inflow (whichever is less), in the tailrace. White
Pine Hydro proposes to install an upstream eel passage facility,
improve a canoe portage, and improve angler access. White Pine Hydro
also proposes to remove 375.5 acres of land and water from the existing
project boundary because it does not serve a project purpose.
l. Locations of the Application: A copy of the application is
available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or
may be viewed on the Commission's Web site 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, please contact FERC Online Support at
[email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at
the address in item (h) above.
m. You may also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC
Online Support.
n. Procedural Schedule:
The application will be processed according to the following
preliminary Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be
made as appropriate.
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Milestone Target Date
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Notice of Acceptance/Notice of Ready February 2016.
for Environmental Analysis.
Filing of recommendations, preliminary April 2016.
terms and conditions, and fishway
prescriptions.
Commission issues Non-Draft September 2016.
Environmental Assessment (EA).
Comments on EA........................ October 2016.
Modified terms and conditions......... December 2016.
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o. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice
of ready for environmental analysis.
Dated: December 17, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-32271 Filed 12-22-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P