Department of Energy
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- [Project No. 2716-051]
On December 30, 2024, Virginia Electric and Power Company d/b/a Dominion Energy Virginia, Allegheny Generating Company, and Bath County Energy, LLC (Dominion) filed a relicense application for the 2,484-megawatt Bath County Pumped Storage Project No. 2716 (project). The project is located on Back Creek and Little Back Creek in Bath, Highland, Augusta, and Rockbridge counties, Virginia. The project includes a 278-acre upper reservoir impounded by a 2,250-foot-long, 460-foot-high, earth and rock-fill dam; (2) a primarily underground powerhouse housing six Francis reversible pump-turbines; and (3) a 555-acre lower reservoir impounded by a 2,100-foot-long, 135-foot-high, earth and rock-fill dam. The current project boundary encompasses 3,451 acres of land, including 1,122 acres of federal land in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
In accordance with the Commission's regulations, on January 15, 2026, Commission staff issued a notice that the project was ready for environmental analysis (REA notice). Based on the information in the record, including comments filed on the REA Notice, staff does not anticipate that licensing the project would constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. Therefore, staff intends to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) on the application to relicense the project.[1]
The EA will be issued and circulated for review by all interested parties. All comments filed on the EA will be analyzed by staff and considered in the Commission's final licensing decision.
For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, contact the Office of Public Participation at (202) 502-6595 or OPP@ferc.gov.
The application will be processed according to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made as appropriate.
| Milestone | Target date |
|---|---|
| Commission issues EA | November 20, 2026. |
Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Andy Bernick at (202) 502-8660 or email at andrew.bernick@ferc.gov.
(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)
Dated: April 7, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.