Southwestern Power Administration 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to Delegation Order Nos. 00-037.00, effective December 6, 2001, and 00-001.00C, effective January 31, 2007, the Deputy Secretary has approved and placed into effect on an interim basis Rate Order No. SWPA-60, which increases the power rate for the Sam Rayburn Dam (Rayburn) pursuant to the following Sam Rayburn Dam Rate Schedule:

The Administrator, Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern), has prepared Current and Revised 2008 Power Repayment Studies that show the need for an increase in annual revenues to meet cost recovery criteria. Such increased revenues are required primarily due to increases in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' operations and maintenance estimates. The Administrator has developed a proposed Sam Rayburn Dam rate schedule, which is supported by a power repayment study, to recover the required revenues. Beginning January 1, 2009, the proposed rates would increase annual revenues approximately 14.3 percent from $3,456,696 to $3,949,872.

The Administrator, Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern), has determined that revisions to the Real Power Losses provisions within existing rate schedules P-06 and NFTS-06 are required. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) confirmed and approved such rates on February 27, 2007 in Docket No. EF07-4011-000 (118 FERC ]62,162) for the period from October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2010. Since the proposed rate schedule revisions are limited only to Real Power Losses, the net result of the 2006 Integrated System Power Repayment Studies, which was the basis for the existing rate schedules, will not be altered. Southwestern held several meetings during FY 2008 with customers to discuss the proposed rate schedule revisions and provide opportunity for input in the development of the final rate schedules. As a result of these informal meetings, it was determined that the revised rate schedule provisions can provide cost-savings and operational benefits to Southwestern's transmission customers and are consistent with (FERC) Order No. 888.

Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern) is re-opening the public comment period on its proposed determination of the Federal and non-Federal hydropower impacts of the White River Minimum Flows project for an additional 45 days. The original notice, issued July 3, 2008, provided a 30-day comment period ending on August 4, 2008 (73 FR 38198). Southwestern is re-opening the comment period until September 18, 2008.

Section 132 of Public Law 109-103 (2005) authorized and directed the Secretary of the Army to implement alternatives BS-3 and NF-7, as described in the White River Minimum Flows Reallocation Study Report, Arkansas and Missouri, dated July 2004. The law states that the Administrator, Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern), shall determine any impacts on electric energy and capacity generated at Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Project No. 2221 caused by the storage reallocation at Bull Shoals Lake. Further, the licensee of Project No. 2221 shall be fully compensated by the Corps of Engineers for those impacts on the basis of the present value of the estimated future lifetime replacement costs of the electrical energy and capacity at the time of implementation of the White River Minimum Flows project. The law also states that losses to the Federal hydropower purpose of the Bull Shoals and Norfork Projects shall be offset by a reduction in the costs allocated to the Federal hydropower purpose. Further, such reduction shall be determined by the Administrator of Southwestern on the basis of the present value of the estimated future lifetime replacement cost of the electrical energy and capacity at the time of implementation of the White River Minimum Flows project. Southwestern's draft determination was published by Federal Register Notice (73 FR 6717) dated February 5, 2008. Written comments were invited through March 6, 2008. All public comments received were considered, and Southwestern's draft determination was revised as necessary to incorporate the public comments. Since there were significant changes to Southwestern's draft determination, due in part to public comments received supporting higher energy values, Southwestern is publishing a proposed determination for public review and comment prior to its final determination. Assuming a January 1, 2011, date of implementation for the White River Minimum Flows project, Southwestern's proposed determination results in a present value for the estimated future lifetime replacement costs of the electrical energy and capacity at FERC Project No. 2221 of $33,935,100. Southwestern's proposed determination results in a present value for the estimated future lifetime replacement costs of the electrical energy and capacity for Federal hydropower of $86,712,100.