85 FR 214 pgs. 70135-70136 - FFP Project 101, LLC; Notice Soliciting Scoping Comments
Type: NOTICEVolume: 85Number: 214Pages: 70135 - 70136
Pages: 70135, 70136Docket number: [Project No. 14861-002]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2020-24460 Filed 11-3-20; 8:45 am]
Agency: Energy Department
Sub Agency: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 14861-002]
FFP Project 101, LLC; Notice Soliciting Scoping Comments
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.: 14861-002.
c. Date Filed: June 23, 2020.
d. Submitted By: Rye Development on behalf of FFP Project 101, LLC (FFP).
e. Name of Project: Goldendale Pumped Storage Project.
f. Location: Off-stream on the north side of the Columbia River at River Mile 215.6 in Klickitat County, Washington, with transmission facilities extending into Sherman County, Oregon. The project would be located approximately 8 miles southeast of the City of Goldendale, Washington. The project would occupy 18.1 acres of lands owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and administered by the Bonneville Power Administration.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Erik Steimle, Rye Development, 220 Northwest 8th Avenue Portland, Oregon 97209; (503) 998-0230; email- erik@ryedevelopment.com.
i. FERC Contact: Michael Tust at (202) 502-6522; or email at michael.tust@ferc.gov.
j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: December 28, 2020.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file scoping comments 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. You must include your name and contact information at the end of your comments. 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: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, 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: Goldendale Pumped Storage Project (P-14861-002).
The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all interveners filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on 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. The application is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.
l. The project would include the following new facilities: (1) A 61-acre upper reservoir formed by a 175-foot-high, 8,000-foot-long rockfill embankment dam at an elevation of 2,950 feet mean sea level (MSL) with a vertical concrete intake-outlet structure; (2) a 63-acre lower reservoir formed by a 205-foot-high, 6,100-foot-long embankment at an elevation of 590 feet MSL with a horizontal concrete intake-outlet structure and vertical steel slide gates; (3) an underground conveyance tunnel system connecting the two reservoirs consisting of a 2,200-foot-long, 29-foot-diameter concrete-lined vertical shaft, a 3,300-foot-long, 29-foot-diameter concrete-lined high pressure tunnel, a 200-foot-long, 22-foot-diameter high pressure manifold tunnel, three 600-foot-long, 15-foot-diameter steel/concrete penstocks, three 200-foot-long, 20-foot-diameter steel-lined draft tube tunnels with bonneted slide gates, a 200-foot-long, 26-foot-diameter concrete-lined low-pressure tunnel, and a 3,200-foot-long, 30-foot-diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel; (4) an underground powerhouse located between the upper and lower reservoir in a 0.83-acre powerhouse cavern containing three, 400-megawatt (MW) Francis-type pump-turbine units for a total installed capacity of 1,200 MW; (5) a 0.48-acre underground transformer cavern adjacent to the powerhouse containing intermediate step-up transformers that will step up the voltage from 18 kilovolts (kV) to 115 kV; (6) two 30-foot-diameter tunnels for accessing the powerhouse and transformer caverns; (7) a 0.84-mile-long, 115-kV underground transmission line extending from the transformer gallery through the combined access/transmission tunnel to where it emerges aboveground near the west side of the lower reservoir and extending an additional 0.27 miles to an outdoor 7.3-acre substation/switchyard where the voltage would be stepped up to 500 kV; (8) a 3.13-mile-long, 500-kV transmission line routed from the substation/switchyard south across the Columbia River and connecting to Bonneville Power Administration's existing John Day Substation; (9) a buried 30-inch-diameter water fill line leading from a shut-off and throttling valve within a non-project water supply vault owned by Klickitat Public Utility District (KPUD) to an outlet structure within the lower reservoir to convey water to fill the reservoirs; and (10) appurtenant facilities. The project would also include an existing 0.7-mile road for accessing the lower reservoir site and an existing 8.6-mile-long road for accessing the upper reservoir site both of which may be modified to provide access for construction vehicles.
The water supply used to initially fill the lower reservoir as well as to provide make-up water would be purchased from KPUD and would be obtained from KPUD's existing intake pond on the Columbia River. The project water fill line would connect to a new KPUD-owned flanged water supply service connection in a water supply vault located near the lower reservoir. Within the vault, and just downstream of the service connection, there would be a project shut-off and throttling valve to allow control of the initial fill and make-up water flow rate into the lower reservoir. The initial fill would require 7,640 acre-feet of water and would be completed in about six months at an average flow rate of approximately 21 cubic feet per second (maximum flow rate available is 35 cubic feet per second). It is estimated that the project would need 360 acre-feet of water each year to replenish water lost through evaporation.
[top] m. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the Federal Register , the Commission provides all interested persons an opportunity to view and/or print the contents via the internet through the Commission's Home Page ( 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. At this time, the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's Public Reference Room, due to the proclamation declaring a National Emergency concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), issued by the President on March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact FERC at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 or TYY, (202) 502-8659.
n. You may also register online 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, contact FERC Online Support.
o. Scoping Process
Commission staff will prepare either an environmental assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that describes and evaluates the probable effects, if any, of the licensee's proposed action and alternatives. The EA or EIS will consider environmental impacts and reasonable alternatives to the proposed action. The Commission's scoping process will help determine the required level of analysis and satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of whether the Commission prepares an EA or an EIS. Due to restrictions on mass gatherings related to COVID-19, we do not intend to conduct a public scoping meeting and site visit in this case. Instead, we are soliciting written comments and suggestions on the preliminary list of issues and alternatives to be addressed in the NEPA document, as described in scoping document 1 (SD1), issued October 29, 2020.
Copies of the SD1 outlining the subject areas to be addressed in the NEPA document were distributed to the parties on the Commission's mailing list and the applicant's distribution list. Copies of SD1 may be viewed on the web 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, call 1-866-208-3676 or for TTY, (202) 502-8659.
Dated: October 29, 2020.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-24460 Filed 11-3-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P