Application for Presidential Permit; Nogales Interconnection Project, 31622 [2016-11810]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 97 (Thursday, May 19, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 31622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-11810]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[OE Docket No. PP-420]


Application for Presidential Permit; Nogales Interconnection 
Project

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of application.

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SUMMARY: Nogales Transmission, L.L.C., (Nogales Transmission) has 
applied for a Presidential permit to construct, operate, maintain, and 
connect an electric transmission line across the United States border 
with Mexico.

DATES:  Comments or motions to intervene must be submitted on or before 
June 20, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Comments or motions to intervene should be addressed as 
follows: Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE-20), 
U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Lawrence (Program Office) 
at 202-586-5260 or via electronic mail at 
Christopher.Lawrence@hq.doe.gov, Rishi Garg (Program Attorney) at 202-
586-0258.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The construction, operation, maintenance, 
and connection of facilities at the international border of the United 
States for the transmission of electric energy between the United 
States and a foreign country is prohibited in the absence of a 
Presidential permit issued pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 10485, as 
amended by EO 12038.
    On April 8, 2016, Nogales Transmission filed an application with 
the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability of the 
Department of Energy (DOE) for a Presidential permit. Nogales 
Transmission has it principal place of business in Dallas, Texas. 
Nogales Transmission is owned by Hunt Power, L.P., a Delaware limited 
partnership (Hunt Power), which in turn is a subsidiary of Hunt 
Consolidated, Inc.
    Nogales Transmission proposes to construct and operate the Nogales 
Interconnection Project (the Project), an approximately five mile long 
overhead transmission system originating at the Valencia Substation in 
Nogales, Arizona, connecting to the proposed Gateway Substation three 
miles to the West and then crossing the U.S. border two miles to the 
south of the Gateway Substation. The proposed project facilities would 
be capable of transmitting up to 300 megawatts (MW) of power.
    The U.S. portion of the proposed project would cross the U.S.-
Mexico border west of the Mariposa Point of Entry. From the Valencia 
Substation to the Gateway Substation, a three mile, 138 kV line would 
be constructed. A 300 MW bi-directional Back-to-Back HVDC Converter 
will be located at the Gateway substation, connecting the WECC system 
to the Mexico system. The Back-to-Back HVDC Converter will have two 
phases with each phase capable of 150 MW of bi-directional flow between 
the WECC and Mexico systems. From the Gateway Substation to the border, 
a 230 kV line would run approximately two miles to the Mexico border.
    The Project will be operated in accordance with the established 
engineering and technical criteria of the Western Electric Coordinating 
Council. System impact studies are being conducted to analyze the 
effect of importing and exporting the entire 300 MWs across the Back-
to-Back HVDC system.
    Since the restructuring of the electric industry began, resulting 
in the introduction of different types of competitive entities into the 
marketplace, DOE has consistently expressed its policy that cross-
border trade in electric energy should be subject to the same 
principles of comparable open access and non-discrimination that apply 
to transmission in interstate commerce. DOE has stated that policy in 
export authorizations granted to entities requesting authority to 
export over international transmission facilities. Specifically, DOE 
expects transmitting utilities owning border facilities to provide 
access across the border in accordance with the principles of 
comparable open access and non-discrimination contained in the Federal 
Power Act and articulated in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(FERC) Order No. 888 (Promoting Wholesale Competition Through Open 
Access Non-Discriminatory Transmission Services by Public Utilities; 
FERC Stats. & Regs. ]31,036 (1996)), as amended.
    Procedural Matters: Any person may comment on this application by 
filing such comment at the address provided above. Any person seeking 
to become a party to this proceeding must file a motion to intervene at 
the address provided above in accordance with Rule 214 of FERC's Rules 
of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.214). Two copies of each comment 
or motion to intervene should be filed with DOE on or before the date 
listed above.
    Additional copies of such motions to intervene also should be filed 
directly with: Enrique Marroquin, Nogales Transmission, LLC, 1900 North 
Akard Street, Dallas, TX 75201.
    Before a Presidential permit may be issued or amended, DOE must 
determine that the proposed action is in the public interest. In making 
that determination, DOE considers the environmental impacts of the 
proposed project pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, determines the project's impact on electric reliability by 
ascertaining whether the proposed project would adversely affect the 
operation of the U.S. electric power supply system under normal and 
contingency conditions, and any other factors that DOE may also 
consider relevant to the public interest. Also, DOE must obtain the 
concurrences of the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense 
before taking final action on a Presidential permit application.
    Copies of this application will be made available, upon request, 
for public inspection and copying at the address provided above, by 
accessing the program Web site at https://energy.gov/oe/services/electricity-policy-coordination-and-implementation/international-electricity-regulatio-2.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 13, 2016.
Christopher A. Lawrence,
Electricity Policy Analyst, National Electricity Delivery Division, 
Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.
[FR Doc. 2016-11810 Filed 5-18-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P