[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 214 (Monday, November 7, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 67028]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24236]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 15232-000]


Public Service Company of Colorado; Notice of Preliminary Permit 
Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To 
Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On August 23, 2021, Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo), 
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 Unaweep Pumped Storage Hydropower Project (Unaweep Project or 
project), a closed-loop pumped storage project to be located in Mesa 
County, Colorado. 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 new facilities: 
(1) a 96-foot-high concrete-faced rockfill dam with approximate crest 
elevation of 8,627 feet (NAVD88) creating a 5,912 acre-foot upper 
reservoir with a maximum surface elevation of 8,622 feet (NAVD88); (2) 
an approximately 4,900-foot-long, 22-foot-diameter concrete- and steel-
lined underground conduit system to connect the upper and lower 
reservoirs to the powerhouse; (3) an underground powerhouse containing 
three fixed-speed pump-turbine units with a generation capacity of 267 
megawatts each (total capacity of 800 megawatts) that would be directly 
coupled to motor-generators rated at approximately 281 megawatts each; 
(4) a 73-foot-high earthen fill dam with approximate crest elevation of 
7,075 feet (NAVD88), creating a 5,912 acre-foot lower reservoir with a 
maximum surface elevation of 7,068 feet (NAVD88); (5) a new water 
supply wellfield located adjacent to the Gunnison River near 
Whitewater, Colorado and a water transmission system containing a pump 
station and an approximately 19-mile-long pipeline; (6) a 24-mile-long 
345-kilovolt (kV) single, double-circuit transmission line 
interconnecting the project to the applicant's existing Grand Junction 
substation which serves an existing 345-kV transmission line; and (7) 
appurtenant facilities. The estimated average annual generation of the 
Unaweep Project would be 2,780 gigawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contact: Terri Eaton, Public Service Company of Colorado, 
1800 Larimer Street, Suite 1200, Denver, Colorado 80202; phone: (303) 
571-7112; [email protected].
    FERC Contact: Khatoon Melick, (202) 502-8433, 
[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 https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. Commenters can submit brief 
comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the 
eComment system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx. 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-15232-000.
    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 https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/elibrary/overview. Enter the docket number (P-15232) in the docket number field 
to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: November 1, 2022.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-24236 Filed 11-4-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


