[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 65 (Thursday, April 4, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 13281]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-06596]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14958-000]


Oceanus Power & Water, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit 
Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To 
Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On December 27, 2018, Oceanus Power & Water, 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 
Integrated Pumped Hydroelectric Reverse Osmosis Clean Energy System at 
the Vandenberg Air Force Base (IPHROCES at Vandenberg AFB Project or 
project) to be located on coast of the Pacific Ocean, near Vandenberg 
Air Force, Santa Barbara County, California. 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 rock-
fill dam (dimensions and position to be determined based energy and 
water storage volume requirements under the permit term, if issued); 
(2) a upper reservoir having a total storage capacity of 5,000 acre-
feet at a normal maximum operating elevation of 1,310 feet mean sea 
level (msl); (3) two 12,450-foot-long, 11-foot-diameter penstocks 
running above ground between the upper reservoir and the powerhouse; 
(4) an underground powerhouse with approximate footprint of 0.4-acre 
and containing two variable speed reversible Francis reversible pump/
turbine-motor/generator units rated for 75 megawatts each at 1,310 feet 
of gross head; (5) a 50-foot-high seawater reverse osmosis 
desalinization facility with an approximate footprint of 15-acres 
located approximately 325-feet from the powerhouse; (6) two 11-foot-
diameter tailrace pipelines, each with six 35-foot-long, 11-foot-
diameter Johnson screens, extending from the powerhouse to the intake/
outlet structure; (7) a seawater intake/outlet structure located in the 
Pacific Ocean; (8) a brine concentrate storage lagoon to store brine 
concentrate during times when the project is inoperable or in pumping 
mode; (9) a 10-mile-long, transmission line extending from the project 
to the existing Divide Substation (the point of interconnection), the 
number of circuits, voltage, and configuration to be determined during 
the term of the permit, if issued; and (10) appurtenant facilities. The 
lower reservoir for the proposed project would be the Pacific Ocean. 
The estimated annual generation of the IPHROCES at Vandenberg AFB 
Project would be 415 gigawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contact: Mr. Neal Aronson, Director, President/CEO, 
Oceanus Power & Water, LLC, 900 High Street, Palo Alto, California 
94301; phone: (650) 380-3323.
    FERC Contact: Kelly Wolcott; phone: (202) 502-6480.
    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 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 
[email protected], (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-14958-000.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the ``eLibrary'' link of 
Commission's website at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-14958) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: March 29, 2019.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-06596 Filed 4-3-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


