[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 137 (Tuesday, July 19, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43017-43018]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15368]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 15238-000]


PacifiCorp; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for 
Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing 
Applications

    On October 13, 2021, PacifiCorp 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 Box Elder Pumped 
Storage Project to be located in Converse County, approximately 10 
miles southeast of Glenrock, Wyoming. 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.
    Two alternatives are being considered for the Box Elder Pumped 
Storage Project. They are located approximately 1.5 miles apart, share 
a similar configuration, and connect to the same existing electrical 
grid substation. Alternative 1 would consist of the

[[Page 43018]]

following new facilities: (1) an upper reservoir with a surface area of 
161 acres created by a 2,120-foot-long, 400-foot-high embankment dam; 
(2) a lower reservoir with a surface area of 110 acres and a storage 
volume of approximately 5,222 acre-feet created by a 5,400-foot-long, 
60-foot-high embankment dam; (3) a 2-mile-long steel penstock with a 
diameter of 25.5-feet; (4) a 150-foot-long, 50-foot-wide concrete 
powerhouse/pump station located on the lower reservoir shoreline 
containing up to three generating/pumping units for a total generating 
capacity of 500 MW; (5) an approximate 5.3-mile, 230-kilovolt (kV) 
transmission line from the powerhouse to the existing Dave Johnston 
substation that would interconnect to the regional transmission grid; 
(6) an approximately 5.3-mile-long underground pipeline with a diameter 
of 24-inches diverting water from the North Platte River for 
construction, initial fill, and annual maintenance fill (supplemental 
water may be used from other sources, including Box Elder Creek); and, 
(7) appurtenant facilities.
    Most of the facilities for Alternative 2 (i.e., project reservoirs, 
penstock, and powerhouse, etc.) would be located approximately 1-2 
miles southeast of their counterparts under Alternative 1. Alternative 
2 would consist of the following new facilities: (1) an upper reservoir 
with a surface area of 281 acres created by a 470-foot-long, 130-foot-
high embankment dam; (2) a lower reservoir with a surface area of 116 
acres and a storage volume of approximately 5,062 acre-feet created by 
a 4,000-foot-long, 45-foot-high embankment dam; (3) a 4.8-mile-long 
steel penstock with a diameter of 25.5-feet) connecting the upper 
reservoir with the powerhouse/pump station; (4) a 150-foot-long, 50-
foot-wide concrete powerhouse/pump station located on the lower 
reservoir shoreline containing up to three generating/pumping units for 
a total generating capacity of 500 MW; (5) an approximate 8.3-mile, 
230-kV transmission line interconnecting to the same substation under 
Alternative 1; (6) an approximately 8.3-mile-long underground pipeline 
with a diameter of 24-inches diverting water from the North Platte 
River for construction, initial fill, and annual maintenance fill 
(supplemental water may be used from other sources, including Box Elder 
Creek); and, (7) appurtenant facilities.
    The estimated annual generation of the Project would be 1,390 
gigawatt-hours (GWh).
    Applicant Contact: Tim Hemstreet, Managing Director, Renewable 
Energy Development, PacifiCorp, 825 NE Multnomah, Suite 1800, Portland, 
OR 97232; email: [email protected]; phone: (503) 813-6170.
    FERC Contact: Jeffrey Ackley at [email protected].
    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, you may submit a paper copy. 
Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via 
any other carrier must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue Rockville, 
Maryland 20852. The first page of any filing should include docket 
number P-15238-000.
    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-15238) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: July 13, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-15368 Filed 7-18-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


