82 FR 37582 - White Pine Waterpower, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing Applications

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 154 (August 11, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 154 (Friday, August 11, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 37582]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-16960]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14851-000]


White Pine Waterpower, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit 
Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To 
Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On July 13, 2017, White Pine Waterpower, 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 White Pine Pumped 
Storage Project to be located near the town of Ely in White Pine, 
Nevada. 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 applicant proposes to study two alternative closed-loop pumped 
storage alternatives at the site: One sized to 250 megawatts (MW) and 
the other to 500 MW. The 500-MW alternative would consist of the 
following: (1) A new upper reservoir with a surface area of 52 acres 
and a storage capacity of 2,400 acre-feet at a surface elevation of 
approximately 8,530 feet above mean sea level (msl) created through 
construction of a new earth or rock-filled dam; (2) a new lower 
reservoir with a surface area of 40 acres and a total storage capacity 
of 2,400 acre-feet at a surface elevation of 6,290 feet msl; (3) 10,600 
feet of tunnel and penstock connecting the upper and lower reservoirs; 
(5) a new underground powerhouse containing three turbine-generator 
units; (6) a new 1.5 mile transmission line connecting the powerhouse 
to a nearby electric grid interconnection, (7) appurtenant facilities. 
The 500-MW alternative would have an annual generation of 502,717 
megawatt-hours (MWh).
    For the 250-MW alternative, the new upper and lower reservoirs 
would be sized to have half of the storage of the 500-MW alternative 
(1,200 acre-feet), reducing the dam size needed to impound the 
reservoirs. The alternative would require 11,700 feet of tunnel and 
penstock and have 2 pump-generating units. The 250-MW alternative would 
require the same transmission line and would have an estimated annual 
generation of 547,500 MWh.
    Applicant Contact: Matthew Shapiro, CEO, Gridflex Energy, LLC, 1210 
W. Franklin Street, Suite 2, Boise, ID 83702.
    FERC Contact: Jim Fargo; phone: (202) 502-6095.
    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.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
comments, motions to intervene, notices of intent, and competing 
applications 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-14851-000.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the eLibrary link of the 
Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-14851) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: August 7, 2017.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-16960 Filed 8-10-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P