[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 18 (Wednesday, January 29, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8390-8392]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-01859]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 14787-004]
Black Canyon Hydro, LLC; Notice of Application Ready for
Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms
and Conditions, and Prescriptions
Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
a. Type of Application: Original major license.
b. Project No.: 14787-004.
c. Date Filed: January 18, 2023.
d. Applicant: rPlus Hydro, LLLP, on behalf of Black Canyon Hydro,
LLC (BCH).
e. Name of Project: Seminoe Pumped Storage Project (Seminoe Project
or project).
f. Location: The proposed project would be located at the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation's (Reclamation) Seminoe Reservoir on the North
Platte River in Carbon County, Wyoming, approximately 35 miles
northeast of Rawlins, Wyoming. The project would occupy 1,025.94 acres
of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and 77.00 acres
managed by Reclamation.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Lars Dorr, Program Manager for rPlus Hydro,
LLLP. Address: Black Canyon Hydro, LLC c/o rPlus Hydro, LLLP 201 S.
Main St. Suite 2100 Salt Lake City, Utah 84111. Phone: (858) 925-3743.
Email: ldorr@rplusenergies.com.
i. FERC Contact: Michael Tust at (202) 502-6522; or email at
michael.tust@ferc.gov.
j. Deadline for filing comments, recommendations, terms and
conditions, and prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this
notice; reply comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this
notice.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions
using the Commission's eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000
characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at
https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx. For assistance, please
contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866) 208-
3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic
filing, you may submit a paper copy. Submissions sent via the U.S.
Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A,
Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be
addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
All filings must clearly identify the project name and docket number on
the first page: Seminoe Pumped Storage Project (P-14787-004).
The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all
intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of
that document on
[[Page 8391]]
each person on the official service list for the project. Further, if
an intervener files comments or documents with the Commission relating
to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a
particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document
on that resource agency.
k. This application has been accepted and is now ready for
environmental analysis.
l. Project Description: The Seminoe Project would utilize
Reclamation's existing 1,017,280 acre-feet Seminoe reservoir on the
North Platte River as the lower reservoir and would include the
following new facilities: (1) a 8,498-foot-long circumference, 20-foot
wide, 65 to 185-foot-high, roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam
impounding a 10,800-acre-foot upper reservoir at a crest elevation of
7,455 feet and a maximum operating pool elevation of 7,445 feet
(allowing for a 10-foot freeboard between the maximum operating level
and the dam crest); (2) a 200-foot-long concrete, ungated, ogee crest
emergency spillway; (3) a 75-foot-diameter, covered bell-mouth intake
set near the southwestern edge of the upper reservoir at an elevation
of 7,295 feet; (4) an approximately 680-foot-long, 32-foot-diameter
concrete lined-headrace tunnel connecting to a 615-foot-long, 24-foot-
diameter aboveground steel conduit which would extend underground for
an additional 2,470 feet before discharging to a 30-foot-diameter
vertical, concrete-lined shaft; (5) a 165-foot-long, 17-foot-diameter
concrete, steel-lined penstock connecting from the vertical shaft to
the pump-turbines; (6) three pump-turbines each rated at 324 megawatts
(MW) (for a combined total generating capacity of 972 MW) located in
the underground powerhouse (machine hall); (7) an approximately 4,070-
foot-long, 31-foot-diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel discharging
water to a lower intake structure within the existing Seminoe Reservoir
at normal maximum water surface elevation of 6,357 feet; (8) a
transformer cavern containing 18 kilovolt (kV) generator step-up
transformers for each unit, and a gas-insulated switchgear switchyard;
(9) a 765-foot-long horizontal tunnel transmitting power from the
transformer gallery to a vertical cable shaft up to a take-off
structure at the surface, and then via two separate, 500 kV, overhead
primary transmission lines extending to the 500 kV interconnection at
Aeolus Substation, approximately 30 miles to the southeast of the
project; (10) an approximately 32-foot-diameter main access tunnel
providing access to the machine hall; (11) a 15-foot-wide, 16-foot-high
surge chamber access tunnel lined with shotcrete; (12) a 2.6-mile-long
new access road around the upper reservoir; (13) a new 40-foot-wide
road to the main access tunnel portal starting from a proposed new
bridge over the tailrace of Seminoe Dam; and (14) appurtenant
facilities. Additionally, portions of Western Area Power
Administration's existing Miracle Mile-Snowy Range 1 115 kV and Miracle
Mile-Snowy Range 2 230 kV transmission lines would be relocated around
the upper reservoir. Furthermore, the existing Bennett Mountain Road
(also called Dry Lake Road) would be upgraded (i.e., widened to 24
feet) to support construction and maintenance of the proposed upper
reservoir and realigned in places to reduce steep grades and avoid
wetlands. The powerline road from Hanna would serve as the main access
route to the lower intake and gate shaft area. BCH also proposes to
upgrade a small section of the existing rough, single-track road from
the proposed gate shaft location to the surge chamber access tunnel
exit.
BCH proposes to draw 13,400 acre-feet of water from Seminoe
Reservoir to initially fill the new upper reservoir and would need 672
acre-feet of water each year to replenish water lost through
evaporation. Once the upper reservoir is filled, approximately 10,800
acre-feet could be cycled between the upper reservoir and Seminoe
Reservoir each day and the project would be capable of generating 2,916
gigawatt-hours per year.
m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission's
website at https://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, contact FERC Online
Support (see item j above).
All filings must: (1) bear in all capital letters the title
``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,'' ``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``TERMS AND
CONDITIONS,'' or ``PRESCRIPTIONS;'' (2) set forth in the heading the
name of the applicant and the project number of the application to
which the filing responds; (3) furnish the name of the person
submitting the filing; and (4) otherwise comply with the requirements
of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All comments, recommendations,
terms and conditions or prescriptions must set forth their evidentiary
basis and otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b).
Agencies may obtain copies of the application directly from the
applicant. Each filing must be accompanied by proof of service on all
persons listed on the service list prepared by the Commission in this
proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports
meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission
proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners,
environmental justice communities, Tribal members and others, access
publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For
public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is
encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502-6595, or at OPP@ferc.gov.
You may also register at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx to be notified via email of new filings and issuances
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, please
contact FERC Online Support (see item j above).
n. The applicant must file no later than 60 days from the issuance
date of this notice: (1) a copy of the water quality certification; (2)
a copy of the request for certification, including proof of the date on
which the certifying authority received the request; or (3) evidence of
a waiver of water quality certification.
o. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according
to the following anticipated schedule. Revisions to the schedule will
be made as appropriate. The schedule for issuing draft and final NEPA
documents is consistent with the Commission's Notice of Revised
Schedule for the Seminoe Pumped Storage Project issued October 18,
2024:
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Milestone Target date
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Comments, Recommendations and Agency March 2025.
Terms and Conditions/Prescriptions
Due.
Applicant's Reply Comments Due........ April 2025.
Commission Issues Draft NEPA Document. September 2025.
Commission Issues Final NEPA Document. April 2026.
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[[Page 8392]]
p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.
Dated: January 13, 2025.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-01859 Filed 1-28-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P