Owyhee Hydro, LLC; of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing Applications, 20974 [2011-9072]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 72 (Thursday, April 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 20974]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-9072]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14060-000]


Owyhee Hydro, LLC; of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for 
Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing 
Applications

    On January 18, 2011, Owyhee Hydro, 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 Owyhee Pumped Storage 
Project (project) to be located on Lake Owyhee, near Adrian, Malheur 
County, Oregon. 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 proposed project has three alternatives and would consist of 
the following:

Owyhee Ridge Alternative A

    Utilizing the existing Lake Owyhee as the lower reservoir and 
constructing: (1) A 50-foot-high, 9,900-foot-long earthen or rockfill 
upper reservoir embankment; (2) a artificial, lined upper reservoir 
with a storage capacity of 8,235-acre-foot; (3) a 600-foot-long, 15.5-
foot diameter concrete-lined low-pressure tunnel; (4) a 5,870-foot-
long, 15.5-foot-diameter concrete-lined pressure shaft; (5) a 1,815-
foot-long, 18.6-foot-diameter concrete-lined tailrace; (6) a 100-foot-
long, 350-foot-wide, 120-foot-high underground powerhouse; (7) a 4.85-
mile-long, 230 or 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission line interconnecting 
with either the existing Midpoint-Summer Lake line or the planned 
Boardman-Hemingway line; and (8) appurtenant facilities.

Owyhee Ridge Alternative B

    Utilizing the existing Lake Owyhee as the lower reservoir and 
constructing: (1) A 50-foot-high, 9,900-foot-long earthen or rockfill 
upper reservoir embankment; (2) a artificial, lined upper reservoir 
with a storage capacity of 8,235-acre-foot; (3) a 1,190-foot-long, 
15.5-foot-diameter concrete-lined low-pressure tunnel; (4) an 8,100-
foot-long, 15.5-foot-diameter concrete-lined pressure shaft; (5) a 
2,000-foot-long, 18.6-foot-diameter concrete-lined tailrace; (6) a 100-
foot-long, 350-foot-wide, 120-foot-high underground powerhouse; (7) a 
2.7-mile-long, 230 or 354-kV transmission line interconnecting with 
either the existing Midpoint-Summer Lake line or the planned Boardman-
Hemingway line; and (8) appurtenant facilities.

Long Draw Alternative

    Utilizing the existing Lake Owyhee as the lower reservoir and 
constructing: (1) A artificial, lined upper reservoir with a storage 
capacity of 8,235-acre-foot; (2) a 210-foot-high, 2,165-foot-long zoned 
earth and rockfill dam with impervious core or concrete-face earth and 
rockfill dam; (3) a 2,100-foot-long, 16.4-foot-diameter concrete-lined 
low-pressure tunnel; (4) a 8,070-foot-long, 16.4-foot-diameter 
concrete-lined pressure tunnel; (5) a 2,110-foot-long, 19.7-foot-
diameter concrete-lined tailrace; (6) an 80-foot-high, 280-foot-wide, 
120-foot-high underground powerhouse; (7) a 2.5-mile-long, 230-kV 
transmission line interconnecting with either the existing Midpoint-
Summer Lake line or the planned Boardman-Hemingway line; and (8) 
appurtenant facilities.
    All of the alternatives would include four reversible pump-turbines 
with a total installed capacity of 500 megawatts.
    The estimated annual generation of the project would be 1,533 
gigawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contact: Mr. Matthew Shapiro, Owyhee Hydro, LLC, 1210 W. 
Franklin Street, Suite 2, Boise, Idaho 83702; phone: (208) 246-9925.
    FERC Contact: Kelly Wolcott; phone: (202) 502-6480.
    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. Comments, motions to intervene, notices of intent, and 
competing applications may be filed electronically via the Internet. 
See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's 
Web site https://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 https://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 FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, 
or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. Although the Commission strongly encourages 
electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, 
mail an original and seven copies to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the ``eLibrary'' link of 
Commission's Web site at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-14060-000) in the docket number field to 
access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: April 8, 2011.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-9072 Filed 4-13-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P