[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 116 (Thursday, June 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 36317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12995]



[[Page 36317]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2600-088]


Bangor-Pacific Hydro Associates; Notice of Application Tendered 
for Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for 
Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 2600-088.
    c. Date Filed: May 27, 2022.
    d. Applicant: Bangor-Pacific Hydro Associates (Bangor Hydro).
    e. Name of Project: West Enfield Hydroelectric Project (project).
    f. Location: On the Penobscot River in Penobscot County, Maine. The 
project does not occupy any federal land.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Randy Dorman, Relicensing Manager, Brookfield 
Renewable, 150 Maine Street, Lewiston, ME 04240; phone at (207) 755-
5605, or email at [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Bill Connelly at (202) 502-8587, or 
[email protected].
    j. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    k. Project Description: The existing West Enfield Hydroelectric 
Project consists of: (1) a 664-foot-long, 39-foot-high concrete dam 
that includes: (a) a 363-foot-long overflow spillway with 7-foot-high 
flashboards and a crest elevation of 156.1 feet National Geodetic 
Vertical Datum 1929 (NGVD 29) at the top of the flashboards; (b) a 107-
foot-long gated spillway with three 26-foot-wide, 25-foot-high radial 
spillway gates at an elevation of 149.1 feet NGVD 29; and (c) a 194-
foot-long, 39-foot-high non-overflow section; (2) an 1,148-acre 
impoundment at the spillway crest elevation of 156.1 feet NGVD 29; (3) 
a 106-foot-long, 46.75-foot-high intake structure at the non-overflow 
section of the dam with four 47-foot-high, 21.25-foot-wide intake gates 
that are equipped with four trashracks having 1.25-inch clear bar 
spacing; (4) a concrete dam (Runaround Dam) located on the west bank of 
Merrill Brook, a tributary to the impoundment, with three 6.33-foot-
wide, 7.67-foot-high metal gates; (5) a 130-foot-long, 110-foot-wide 
concrete powerhouse that is integral with the dam and contains two 6.5-
megawatt (MW) horizontal Kaplan turbine-generator units, for a total 
installed capacity of 13.0 MW; (6) a 1,100-foot-long tailrace; (7) a 
downstream fish passage facility located on top of the intake 
structure; (8) a concrete vertical slot fish ladder located on the east 
end of the dam; (9) an upstream eel passage facility located on the 
east end of the gated spillway; (10) a 13.2/44-kilovolt (kV) step-up 
transformer, and a 1,400-foot long, 44-kV overhead transmission line 
connecting the project generators to the regional grid; and (11) 
appurtenant facilities.
    The current license requires Bangor-Pacific Hydro to operate the 
project in a run-of-river mode, such that project outflow approximates 
inflow. Bangor Hydro maintains the impoundment at the flashboard crest 
elevation of 156.1 feet NGVD 29. The current license also requires a 
minimum bypassed reach flow of 500 cubic feet per second or the inflow 
to the impoundment, whichever is less. The current license requires the 
following measures: (1) an Atlantic salmon smolt stockout pond; (2) 
funding anadromous fisheries management activities in the Penobscot 
River Basin; and (4) a Species Protection Plan for Atlantic salmon. 
Upstream and downstream passage for diadromous fish are provided from 
April 1 to December 31. Upstream passage for American eel is provided 
from April 1 to November 30.
    The minimum and maximum hydraulic capacities of the powerhouse are 
1,200 and 6,730 cfs, respectively. The average annual generation of the 
project was approximately 86,748 megawatt-hours from 2017 through 2021.
    Bangor Hydro proposes to: (1) continue to operate the project in 
run-of-river mode; (2) develop an operation and compliance monitoring 
plan; (3) develop a debris management plan; (4) develop a historic 
properties management plan; and (5) construct a formal canoe take-out, 
portage, and put-in around West Enfield Dam.
    l. 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 (http://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-
2600). For assistance, contact FERC at [email protected] or 
call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 or (202) 502-8659 (TTY).
    m. 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.
    n. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following preliminary schedule. Revisions to the schedule will 
be made as appropriate.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Milestone                           Target date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue Deficiency Letter...............  June 2022.
Request Additional Information (if      July 2022.
 necessary).
Notice of Acceptance/Notice of Ready    February 2023.
 for Environmental Analysis.
Filing of recommendations, preliminary  April 2023.
 terms and conditions, and fishway
 prescriptions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    o. 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: June 10, 2022.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-12995 Filed 6-15-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


