
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 87 (Friday, May 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 26542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10790]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No., 14382-000]


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

    On April 10, 2010, Black Mountain 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 Black Mountain 
Pumped Storage Project (Black Mountain Project or project) to be 
located on two artificial reservoirs created from natural depressions 
approximately 11 miles southeast of Yerington, in Mineral County, 
Nevada. The entire project would be located on federal lands managed by 
the Bureau of Land Management. 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 would consist of the following: (1) A 176-acre 
upper-reservoir having a total storage capacity of 6,040 acre-feet at a 
normal maximum operating elevation of 7,480 feet above mean sea level 
(msl); (2) a 106-acre lower-reservoir having a total storage capacity 
of 6,450 acre-feet at a normal maximum operating elevation of 5,520 
feet above msl; (3) a 2,200-foot-long concrete-lined headrace; (4) a 
7,250-foot-long concrete-lined pressure tunnel; (5) a 2,950-foot-long 
concrete-lined tailrace; (6) a pump-powerhouse with four 250-megawatt 
reversible pump-turbines; (7) a new 4.6-mile-long double-circuit 230-
kilovolt (kv) transmission line running from the powerhouse to the 
Pacific Direct Current Intertie (PDCI); (8) a new secondary 
interconnection consisting of either: (i) an 18-mile-long, 230-kv 
transmission line running from the powerhouse to Sierra Pacific Power's 
Fort Churchill generating station, parallel to an existing 120-kv 
transmission line, or (ii) a new 18-mile-long, 230-kv transmission line 
running from the powerhouse to the PDCI and then parallel to the PDCI 
to the Fort Churchill generating station; and (9) appurtenant 
facilities. The water for the project would be purchased from entities 
holding existing water rights and would be identified during the study 
phase of the permit term. The estimated annual generation of the Black 
Mountain Project would be 2,628 gigawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contact: Mr. Mathew Shapiro, Chief Executive Officer, 
Gridflex Energy, LLC, 1210 W. Franklin Street, Boise, ID 83702; phone: 
(208) 246-9925.
    FERC Contact: Joseph Hassell; phone: (202) 502-8079.
    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 http://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 http://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 http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-14382) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: April 26, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-10790 Filed 5-3-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


