Merchant Hydro Developers, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing Applications, 11214-11215 [2017-03324]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 33 (Tuesday, February 21, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11214-11215]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-03324]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14809-000]


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

    On December 19, 2016, Merchant Hydro Developers, 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 
Shenandoah Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project to be located near 
Shenandoah Borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The sole purpose 
of a preliminary permit, if issued, is to grant the permit holder 
priority to file a license application

[[Page 11215]]

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 would consist of the following: (1) As many as 
two new upper reservoirs with a combined surface area of 470 acres and 
a combined storage capacity of 7,050 acre-feet at a surface elevation 
of approximately 1,750 feet above mean sea level (msl) created through 
construction of new roller-compacted concrete or rock-filled dams and/
or dikes; (2) a new lower reservoir, including an existing abandoned 
mine pit, with a surface area of 105 acres and a total storage capacity 
of 7,200 acre-feet at a surface elevation of 1,210 feet msl; (3) as 
many as three new 3,387-foot-long, 48-inch-diameter penstocks 
connecting the upper and lower reservoirs; (4) a new 150-foot-long, 50-
foot-wide powerhouse containing two turbine-generator units with a 
total rated capacity of 405 megawatts; (5) a new transmission line 
connecting the powerhouse to a nearby electric grid interconnection 
point with options to evaluate multiple grid interconnection locations; 
and (6) appurtenant facilities. Possible initial fill water and make-up 
water would come from local inflow to the abandoned mine pit, including 
groundwater. The proposed project would have an annual generation of 
1,181,385 megawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contact: Adam Rousselle, Merchant Hydro Developers, LLC, 
5710 Oak Crest Drive, Doylestown, PA 18902; phone: 267-254-6107.
    FERC Contact: Monir Chowdhury; phone: (202) 502-6736.
    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.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
comments, motions to intervene, notices of intent, and competing 
applications using the Commission's eFiling system at 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, (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper copy to: 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20426. The first page of any filing should include 
docket number P-14809-000.
    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-14809) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: February 14, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-03324 Filed 2-17-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P