FirstLight MA Hydro LLC; Notice Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments, 83542-83544 [2020-28235]
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83542
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 22, 2020 / Notices
NGA,3 any person 4 or the Commission’s
staff may file a protest to the request. If
no protest is filed within the time
allowed or if a protest is filed and then
withdrawn within 30 days after the
allowed time for filing a protest, the
proposed activity shall be deemed to be
authorized effective the day after the
time allowed for protest. If a protest is
filed and not withdrawn within 30 days
after the time allowed for filing a
protest, the instant request for
authorization will be considered by the
Commission.
Protests must comply with the
requirements specified in section
157.205(e) of the Commission’s
regulations,5 and must be submitted by
the protest deadline, which is February
16, 2021. A protest may also serve as a
motion to intervene so long as the
protestor states it also seeks to be an
intervenor.
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Interventions
Any person has the option to file a
motion to intervene in this proceeding.
Only intervenors have the right to
request rehearing of Commission orders
issued in this proceeding and to
subsequently challenge the
Commission’s orders in the U.S. Circuit
Courts of Appeal.
To intervene, you must submit a
motion to intervene to the Commission
in accordance with Rule 214 of the
Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure 6 and the regulations under
the NGA 7 by the intervention deadline
for the project, which is February 16,
2021. As described further in Rule 214,
your motion to intervene must state, to
the extent known, your position
regarding the proceeding, as well as
your interest in the proceeding. For an
individual, this could include your
status as a landowner, ratepayer,
resident of an impacted community, or
recreationist. You do not need to have
property directly impacted by the
project in order to intervene. For more
information about motions to intervene,
refer to the FERC website at https://
www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/
intervene.asp.
All timely, unopposed motions to
intervene are automatically granted by
operation of Rule 214(c)(1). Motions to
intervene that are filed after the
intervention deadline are untimely and
may be denied. Any late-filed motion to
intervene must show good cause for
3 18
CFR 157.205.
include individuals, organizations,
businesses, municipalities, and other entities. 18
CFR 385.102(d).
5 18 CFR 157.205(e).
6 18 CFR 385.214.
7 18 CFR 157.10.
4 Persons
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being late and must explain why the
time limitation should be waived and
provide justification by reference to
factors set forth in Rule 214(d) of the
Commission’s Rules and Regulations. A
person obtaining party status will be
placed on the service list maintained by
the Secretary of the Commission and
will receive copies (paper or electronic)
of all documents filed by the applicant
and by all other parties.
Comments
Any person wishing to comment on
the project may do so. The Commission
considers all comments received about
the project in determining the
appropriate action to be taken. To
ensure that your comments are timely
and properly recorded, please submit
your comments on or before February
16, 2021. The filing of a comment alone
will not serve to make the filer a party
to the proceeding. To become a party,
you must intervene in the proceeding.
How To File Protests, Interventions, and
Comments
There are two ways to submit
protests, motions to intervene, and
comments. In both instances, please
reference the Project docket number
CP21–14–000 in your submission.
(1) You may file your protest, motion
to intervene, and comments by using the
Commission’s eFiling feature, which is
located on the Commission’s website
(www.ferc.gov) under the link to
Documents and Filings. New eFiling
users must first create an account by
clicking on eRegister. You will be asked
to select the type of filing you are
making; first select General and then
select Protest, Intervention, or Comment
on a Filing; or 8
(2) You can file a paper copy of your
submission by mailing it to the address
below.9 Your submission must reference
the Project docket number CP21–14–
000. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE, Washington, DC
20426.
The Commission encourages
electronic filing of submissions (option
1 above) and has eFiling staff available
to assist you at (202) 502–8258 or
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov.
8 Additionally, you may file your comments
electronically by using the eComment feature,
which is located on the Commission’s website at
www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and
Filings. Using eComment is an easy method for
interested persons to submit brief, text-only
comments on a project.
9 Hand-delivered submissions in docketed
proceedings should be delivered to Health and
Human Services, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville,
Maryland 20852.
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Protests and motions to intervene
must be served on the applicant either
by mail or email (with a link to the
document) at: GRichman@
NJResources.com, 1415 Wyckoff Road,
Wall, NJ 07719. Any subsequent
submissions by an intervenor must be
served on the applicant and all other
parties to the proceeding. Contact
information for parties can be
downloaded from the service list at the
eService link on FERC Online.
Tracking the Proceeding
Throughout the proceeding,
additional information about the project
will be available from the Commission’s
Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208–
FERC, or on the FERC website at
www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link as
described above. The eLibrary link also
provides access to the texts of all formal
documents issued by the Commission,
such as orders, notices, and
rulemakings.
In addition, the Commission offers a
free service called eSubscription which
allows you to keep track of all formal
issuances and submittals in specific
dockets. This can reduce the amount of
time you spend researching proceedings
by automatically providing you with
notification of these filings, document
summaries, and direct links to the
documents. For more information and to
register, go to www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
esubscription.asp.
Dated: December 16, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020–28245 Filed 12–21–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 1889–085]
FirstLight MA Hydro LLC; Notice
Establishing Procedural Schedule for
Licensing and Deadline for
Submission of Final Amendments
Take notice that the following
amended hydroelectric application has
been filed with the Commission and is
available for public inspection.
a. Type of Application: New Major
License.
b. Project No.: 1889–085.
c. Date Material Amendments Filed:
December 4, 2020.
d. Applicant: FirstLight MA Hydro
LLC (FirstLight).
e. Name of Project: Turners Falls
Hydroelectric Project (project).
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 22, 2020 / Notices
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f. Location: The existing project is
located on the Connecticut River in
Windham County, Vermont, Cheshire
County, New Hampshire, and Franklin
County, Massachusetts. There are
approximately 20 acres of federal lands
within the current project boundary
associated with the U.S. Geological
Survey’s Silvio Conte Anadromous Fish
Laboratory.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power
Act, 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)–825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Justin
Trudell, Vice President, Operations,
FirstLight MA Hydro LLC, 111 South
Bedford Street, Suite 103, Burlington,
MA 01803; (781) 653–4247 or
justin.trudell@firstlightpower.com.
i. FERC Contact: Steve Kartalia, (202)
502–6131 or stephen.kartalia@ferc.gov.
j. This application is not ready for
environmental analysis at this time.
k. FirstLight Hydro Generating
Company filed an application for a new
license for the Turners Falls
Hydroelectric Project No. 1889 (project)
on April 29, 2016. In the license
application, FirstLight Hydro
Generating Company stated that it could
not develop a complete licensing
proposal for the project since many of
the required environmental studies were
not complete as of April 29, 2016.
FirstLight Hydro Generating Company
indicated that it would amend the
license application after completing
additional field work, consultation, and
analyses on the required studies. On
July 11, 2019, Commission staff
approved the transfer of the license for
the project from FirstLight Hydro
Generating Company to FirstLight MA
Hydro LLC. FirstLight MA Hydro LLC
filed material amendments to the final
license application on December 4,
2020.
l. Project Description: The existing
Turners Falls Project consists of: (1) A
630-foot-long, 35-foot-high dam
(Montague dam) that includes: (i) Four
120-foot-wide, 13.25-foot-high bascule
gates; and (ii) a 170-foot-long fixed
section with a crest elevation of 185.5
feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of
1929 (NGVD 29); (2) a 493-foot-long, 55foot-high dam (Gill dam) that includes:
(i) Three 40-foot-wide, 39-foot-high
tainter gates; and (ii) 97.3- and 207.5foot-long fixed sections with crest
elevations of 185.5 feet NGVD 29; (3) a
2,110-acre impoundment with a useable
storage volume of 16,150 acre-feet
between elevations 176.0 feet and 185.0
feet NGVD 29; (4) a 214-foot-long, 33foot-high gatehouse that includes six 9foot-wide, 10.66-foot-high gates and
nine 9.5-foot-wide, 12.6-foot-high gates;
(5) a 2.1-mile-long, 120- to 920-footwide, 17- to 30-foot-deep power canal;
(6) a 700-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, 16- to
23-foot-deep branch canal; (7) the
Station No.1 generating facility that
includes: (i) Eight 15-foot-wide bays
with trashracks with 2.625-inch clearbar spacing; (ii) four 100-foot-long, 13.1to 14-foot-diameter penstocks; (iii) a
134-foot-long, 64-foot-wide powerhouse
that contains five turbine-generator
units with a total installed capacity of
5.693 megawatts (MW); (iv) four 21-footlong, 6.5-foot-diameter draft tubes; (v)
five 40- to 70-foot-long, 2.4-kilovolt (kV)
generator leads that connect the turbinegenerator units to a generator bus; (vi)
a 110-foot-long, 2.4-kV generator lead
that connects the generator bus to a
substation; and (vii) a 20-foot-long, 2.4kV generator lead that connects the
substation to three transformers; (8) the
Cabot Station generating facility that
includes: (i) An intake structure with
217-foot-wide, 31-foot-high trashracks
with 0.94-inch and 3.56-inch clear-bar
spacing; (ii) six 70-foot-long penstocks;
(iii) a 235-foot-long, 79.5-foot-wide
powerhouse that contains six turbinegenerator units with a total installed
capacity of 62.016 MW; (iv) six 41-footlong, 12.5- to 14.5-foot-diameter draft
tubes; (v) six 80- to 250-foot-long, 13.8kV generator leads that connect the
turbine-generator units to a generator
bus; (vi) a 60-foot-long, 13.8-kV
generator lead that connects the
generator bus to the powerhouse roof;
and (vii) a 200-foot-long, 13.8-kV
generator lead that connects to a
transformer; (9) eight 13.6-foot-wide,
16.7-foot-high power canal spillway
gates that are adjacent to Cabot Station;
(10) a 16.2-foot-wide, 13.1-foot-high log
sluice gate in the Cabot Station forebay
with an 8-foot-wide weir for
downstream fish passage; (11) a 200foot-long, 7-foot-diameter drainage
tunnel (Keith Drainage Tunnel) and
headgate; (12) a 955-foot-long, 5-footdiameter lower drainage tunnel; (13) an
850-foot-long, 16-foot-wide, 10-foot-high
fishway (Cabot fishway); (14) a 500-footlong, 10-foot-wide, 10-foot-high fishway
(Spillway fishway); (15) a 225-foot-long,
16-foot-wide, 17.5-foot-high fishway
(Gatehouse fishway); and (16)
appurtenant facilities.
The Turners Falls Project operates in
peaking and run-of-river modes,
depending on inflows. Average annual
generation from 2011–2019 was
approximately 332,351 MW-hours.
FirstLight proposes three changes to
the current project boundary: (1)
Remove 0.2 acre of land associated with
residential property; (2) add 0.8 acre of
land for recreation purposes; and (3)
remove 20.1 acres of land associated
with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Silvio
Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory.
FirstLight proposes to construct new
fish passage facilities and recreational
access trails. FirstLight also proposes
changes to project operation that would
generally reduce impoundment
fluctuations and increase flow releases
to the portion of the Connecticut River
that is bypassed by the project. The
specific proposed changes are described
in the amended application.
m. In addition to publishing the full
text of this notice in the Federal
Register, the Commission provides all
interested persons an opportunity to
view and/or print the contents of this
notice, as well as other documents in
the proceeding (e.g., license application)
via the internet through the
Commission’s Home Page (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 (P–1889).
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 (202) 502–
8659 (TTY).
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. Procedural Schedule: The
application will be processed according
to the following preliminary Hydro
Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the
schedule may be made as appropriate.
Milestone
Target date
Commission issues letters identifying application deficiencies and requesting additional information ...........................................
Notice of Acceptance/Notice of Ready for Environmental Analysis ................................................................................................
Filing of recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and fishway prescriptions ..............................................................
Reply Comments due .......................................................................................................................................................................
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January 2021.
May 2021.
July 2021.
August 2021.
83544
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 22, 2020 / Notices
p. Final amendments to the
application must be filed with the
Commission no later than 30 days from
the issuance date of the notice of ready
for environmental analysis.
Dated: December 16, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020–28235 Filed 12–21–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 2485–071]
Northfield Mountain LLC; Notice
Establishing Procedural Schedule for
Licensing and Deadline for
Submission of Final Amendments
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(December 16, 2020)
Take notice that the following
amended hydroelectric application has
been filed with the Commission and is
available for public inspection.
a. Type of Application: New Major
License.
b. Project No.: 2485–071.
c. Date Material Amendments Filed:
December 4, 2020.
d. Applicant: Northfield Mountain
LLC (Northfield).
e. Name of Project: Northfield
Mountain Pumped Storage Project.
f. Location: The existing project is
located on the Connecticut River in
Windham County, Vermont, Cheshire
County, New Hampshire, and Franklin
County, Massachusetts. There are no
federal lands within the project
boundary.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power
Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Justin
Trudell, Vice President, Operations,
Northfield Mountain LLC, 111 South
Bedford Street, Suite 103, Burlington,
MA 01803; (781) 653–4247 or
justin.trudell@firstlightpower.com.
i. FERC Contact: Steve Kartalia, (202)
502–6131 or stephen.kartalia@ferc.gov.
j. This application is not ready for
environmental analysis at this time.
k. FirstLight Hydro Generating
Company (FirstLight) filed an
application for a new license for the
Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage
Project No. 2485 (project) on April 29,
2016. In the license application,
FirstLight stated that it could not
develop a complete licensing proposal
for the project since many of the
required environmental studies were
not complete as of April 29, 2016.
FirstLight indicated that it would
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17:30 Dec 21, 2020
Jkt 253001
amend the license application after
completing additional field work,
consultation, and analyses on the
required studies. On July 11, 2019,
Commission staff approved the transfer
of the license for the project from
FirstLight to Northfield Mountain LLC.
Northfield Mountain LLC filed material
amendments to the final license
application on December 4, 2020.
l. Project Description: The existing
Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage
Project consists of: (1) A 1-mile-long, 30foot-wide, 30- to 140-foot-high main
dam that includes: (i) An intake
structure with two 7-foot-wide, 9-foothigh sluice gates and an 8-foot-diameter
outlet pipe; and (ii) a 589-foot-long, 2foot-diameter low-level outlet pipe; (2) a
425-foot-long, 25-foot-high dike (North
dike); (3) a 2,800-foot-long, 45-foot-high
dike (Northwest dike); (4) a 1,700-footlong, 40-foot-long dike (West dike); (5)
a 327-foot-long, 10- to 20-foot-high
gravity dam; (6) an ungated 550-footlong, 6-foot-high spillway structure with
a 20-foot-long notch at an elevation of
1,005.0 feet National Geodetic Vertical
Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29); (7) a 286acre impoundment (upper reservoir)
with a useable storage volume of 12,318
acre-feet between elevations 938.0 feet
and 1,000.5 feet NGVD 29; (8) a 2,110acre impoundment (lower reservoir or
Turners Falls impoundment); (9) a
1,890-foot-long, 130-foot-wide intake
channel with a 63-foot-long, 9-foot-high
submerged check dam and two 6-footwide, 2.75-foot-high sluice gates and
two 18-foot-wide stoplogs; (10) a 200foot-long, 55-foot-wide, 80-foot-high
pressure shaft; (11) an 853-foot-long, 31foot-diameter penstock; (12) two 22foot-diameter, 100- to 150-foot-long
penstocks; (13) four 340-foot-long, 9.5to 14-foot-diameter penstocks; (14) a
328-foot-long, 70-foot-wide powerhouse
that contains four reversible pump
turbine-generator units with a total
installed capacity of 1,166.8 megawatts
(MW); (15) four 25-foot-long, 11-footdiameter draft tubes that transition to a
20-foot-long, 17-foot-diameter draft
tube; (16) a 5,136-foot-long, 33-footwide, 31-foot-high horseshoe-shaped
tailrace tunnel; (17) 35-foot-long, 40foot-high trapezoid-shaped stoplogs
with 74.3- to 99.5-foot-wide, 48-foothigh trashracks with 6-inch clear-bar
spacing; (18) four 26-foot-long, 13.8kilovolt (kV) generator leads that
connect the turbine-generator units to
four transformers; (19) two 3,000-footlong, 345-kV transmission lines; and
(20) (21) appurtenant facilities.
The existing Northfield Mountain
Pumped Storage Project generally
operates in pumping mode when
electricity demand is low and
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Sfmt 4703
generating mode when electricity
demand is high. In the summer and
winter, the project generally operates in
a peaking mode in the morning and late
afternoon. In the spring and fall, the
project may operate in a peaking mode
one or two times a day depending on
electricity demand. The existing license
requires maintaining the upper reservoir
between elevations 938.0 feet and
1,000.5 feet NGVD 29 (i.e., a maximum
reservoir drawdown of 62.5 feet).
Average annual generation at the
Northfield Mountain Project from 2011–
2019 was 889,845 MW-hours, and
average annual energy consumption for
pumping from 2011 to 2019 was
1,189,640 MW-hours.
Northfield proposes three changes to
the current project boundary: (1)
Remove 0.2 acre of land associated with
residential property; (2) remove 8.1 acre
of land referred to as ‘‘Fuller Farm’’ that
includes residential and agricultural
structures; and (3) add 135.5 acres of
land that includes recreation trails.
Northfield proposes to increase the
maximum water surface elevation of the
upper reservoir to 1,004.5 feet NGVD 29
and decrease the minimum water
surface elevation of the upper reservoir
to 920.0 feet NGVD 29 (i.e., a maximum
reservoir drawdown of 84.5 feet) yearround. Northfield proposes to install a
barrier net in the lower impoundment to
prevent fish entrainment. Northfield
also proposes to periodically dredge the
upper reservoir and to construct new
recreation access trails. The specific
proposed changes are described in the
amended application.
m. In addition to publishing the full
text of this notice in the Federal
Register, the Commission provides all
interested persons an opportunity to
view and/or print the contents of this
notice, as well as other documents in
the proceeding (e.g., license application)
via the internet through the
Commission’s Home Page (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 (P–2485).
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 (202) 502–
8659 (TTY).
n. You may also register online at
https://ferconline.ferc.gov/
FERCOnline.aspx to be notified via
email of new filings and issuances
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 22, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 83542-83544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-28235]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 1889-085]
FirstLight MA Hydro LLC; Notice Establishing Procedural Schedule
for Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments
Take notice that the following amended hydroelectric application
has been filed with the Commission and is available for public
inspection.
a. Type of Application: New Major License.
b. Project No.: 1889-085.
c. Date Material Amendments Filed: December 4, 2020.
d. Applicant: FirstLight MA Hydro LLC (FirstLight).
e. Name of Project: Turners Falls Hydroelectric Project (project).
[[Page 83543]]
f. Location: The existing project is located on the Connecticut
River in Windham County, Vermont, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, and
Franklin County, Massachusetts. There are approximately 20 acres of
federal lands within the current project boundary associated with the
U.S. Geological Survey's Silvio Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Justin Trudell, Vice President,
Operations, FirstLight MA Hydro LLC, 111 South Bedford Street, Suite
103, Burlington, MA 01803; (781) 653-4247 or
[email protected].
i. FERC Contact: Steve Kartalia, (202) 502-6131 or
[email protected].
j. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this
time.
k. FirstLight Hydro Generating Company filed an application for a
new license for the Turners Falls Hydroelectric Project No. 1889
(project) on April 29, 2016. In the license application, FirstLight
Hydro Generating Company stated that it could not develop a complete
licensing proposal for the project since many of the required
environmental studies were not complete as of April 29, 2016.
FirstLight Hydro Generating Company indicated that it would amend the
license application after completing additional field work,
consultation, and analyses on the required studies. On July 11, 2019,
Commission staff approved the transfer of the license for the project
from FirstLight Hydro Generating Company to FirstLight MA Hydro LLC.
FirstLight MA Hydro LLC filed material amendments to the final license
application on December 4, 2020.
l. Project Description: The existing Turners Falls Project consists
of: (1) A 630-foot-long, 35-foot-high dam (Montague dam) that includes:
(i) Four 120-foot-wide, 13.25-foot-high bascule gates; and (ii) a 170-
foot-long fixed section with a crest elevation of 185.5 feet National
Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29); (2) a 493-foot-long, 55-
foot-high dam (Gill dam) that includes: (i) Three 40-foot-wide, 39-
foot-high tainter gates; and (ii) 97.3- and 207.5-foot-long fixed
sections with crest elevations of 185.5 feet NGVD 29; (3) a 2,110-acre
impoundment with a useable storage volume of 16,150 acre-feet between
elevations 176.0 feet and 185.0 feet NGVD 29; (4) a 214-foot-long, 33-
foot-high gatehouse that includes six 9-foot-wide, 10.66-foot-high
gates and nine 9.5-foot-wide, 12.6-foot-high gates; (5) a 2.1-mile-
long, 120- to 920-foot-wide, 17- to 30-foot-deep power canal; (6) a
700-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, 16- to 23-foot-deep branch canal; (7) the
Station No.1 generating facility that includes: (i) Eight 15-foot-wide
bays with trashracks with 2.625-inch clear-bar spacing; (ii) four 100-
foot-long, 13.1- to 14-foot-diameter penstocks; (iii) a 134-foot-long,
64-foot-wide powerhouse that contains five turbine-generator units with
a total installed capacity of 5.693 megawatts (MW); (iv) four 21-foot-
long, 6.5-foot-diameter draft tubes; (v) five 40- to 70-foot-long, 2.4-
kilovolt (kV) generator leads that connect the turbine-generator units
to a generator bus; (vi) a 110-foot-long, 2.4-kV generator lead that
connects the generator bus to a substation; and (vii) a 20-foot-long,
2.4-kV generator lead that connects the substation to three
transformers; (8) the Cabot Station generating facility that includes:
(i) An intake structure with 217-foot-wide, 31-foot-high trashracks
with 0.94-inch and 3.56-inch clear-bar spacing; (ii) six 70-foot-long
penstocks; (iii) a 235-foot-long, 79.5-foot-wide powerhouse that
contains six turbine-generator units with a total installed capacity of
62.016 MW; (iv) six 41-foot-long, 12.5- to 14.5-foot-diameter draft
tubes; (v) six 80- to 250-foot-long, 13.8-kV generator leads that
connect the turbine-generator units to a generator bus; (vi) a 60-foot-
long, 13.8-kV generator lead that connects the generator bus to the
powerhouse roof; and (vii) a 200-foot-long, 13.8-kV generator lead that
connects to a transformer; (9) eight 13.6-foot-wide, 16.7-foot-high
power canal spillway gates that are adjacent to Cabot Station; (10) a
16.2-foot-wide, 13.1-foot-high log sluice gate in the Cabot Station
forebay with an 8-foot-wide weir for downstream fish passage; (11) a
200-foot-long, 7-foot-diameter drainage tunnel (Keith Drainage Tunnel)
and headgate; (12) a 955-foot-long, 5-foot-diameter lower drainage
tunnel; (13) an 850-foot-long, 16-foot-wide, 10-foot-high fishway
(Cabot fishway); (14) a 500-foot-long, 10-foot-wide, 10-foot-high
fishway (Spillway fishway); (15) a 225-foot-long, 16-foot-wide, 17.5-
foot-high fishway (Gatehouse fishway); and (16) appurtenant facilities.
The Turners Falls Project operates in peaking and run-of-river
modes, depending on inflows. Average annual generation from 2011-2019
was approximately 332,351 MW-hours.
FirstLight proposes three changes to the current project boundary:
(1) Remove 0.2 acre of land associated with residential property; (2)
add 0.8 acre of land for recreation purposes; and (3) remove 20.1 acres
of land associated with the U.S. Geological Survey's Silvio Conte
Anadromous Fish Laboratory.
FirstLight proposes to construct new fish passage facilities and
recreational access trails. FirstLight also proposes changes to project
operation that would generally reduce impoundment fluctuations and
increase flow releases to the portion of the Connecticut River that is
bypassed by the project. The specific proposed changes are described in
the amended application.
m. In addition to publishing the full text of this notice in the
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested persons an
opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this notice, as well
as other documents in the proceeding (e.g., license application) via
the internet through the Commission's Home Page (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 (P-
1889). 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 [email protected] or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 or
(202) 502-8659 (TTY).
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. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according
to the following preliminary Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the
schedule may be made as appropriate.
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Milestone Target date
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Commission issues letters identifying January 2021.
application deficiencies and requesting
additional information.
Notice of Acceptance/Notice of Ready for May 2021.
Environmental Analysis.
Filing of recommendations, preliminary terms July 2021.
and conditions, and fishway prescriptions.
Reply Comments due........................... August 2021.
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[[Page 83544]]
p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice
of ready for environmental analysis.
Dated: December 16, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-28235 Filed 12-21-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
