[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 137 (Wednesday, July 19, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46153-46154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-15314]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 15291-000]


Premium Energy Holdings, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit 
Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To 
Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On November 4, 2022, Premium Energy Holdings, 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 
Pyramid Lake Pumped Storage Project to be located in Washoe County, 
Nevada, adjacent to Pyramid Lake, approximately 27.5 miles northwest of 
the city of Nixon. The sole purpose of a preliminary permit 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 pumped storage hydropower project includes several alternatives 
for location of the upper reservoir, final location is dependent on 
further studies. All alternatives would use Pyramid Lake as the lower 
reservoir and would require construction of a roller compacted concrete 
dam to develop an upper reservoir. The reservoir alternatives are 
discussed below.
    The San Emidio Reservoir alternative consists of: (1) a new upper 
reservoir with a surface area of 180 acres and a storage volume of 
21,550 acre-feet at a maximum water-surface elevation of 6,700 feet 
mean sea level (MSL); (2) a 0.32-mile, 28-foot-wide concrete-lined 
headrace tunnel; (3) a 0.46-mile, 31-foot-wide concrete-lined tailrace 
tunnel; (4) five 0.04-mile, 17-foot-wide steel penstocks; (5) a 2.2-
mile, 26-foot-wide horizontal concrete-lined tunnel; and (6) a 0.15-
mile, 26-foot-wide concrete-lined vertical shaft.
    The Tohakum Peak Reservoir alternative consists of: (1) a new upper 
reservoir with a surface area of 160 acres and a storage volume of 
27,050 acre-feet at a maximum water-surface elevation of 5,960 MSL; (2) 
a 0.25-mile, 32-foot-wide, concrete-lined headrace tunnel;

[[Page 46154]]

(3) a 0.36-mile, 35-foot-wide, concrete-lined tailrace tunnel; (4) five 
0.03-mile, 19-foot-wide steel penstocks; (5) a 1.71-mile, 29-foot-wide 
concrete-lined horizontal tunnel; and (6) a 0.15-mile, 29-foot-wide 
concrete-lined vertical shaft.
    The Lake Range Reservoir alternative consists of: (1) a new upper 
reservoir with a surface area of 160 acres and a storage volume of 
26,020 acre-feet at a maximum water-surface elevation of 6,180 MSL; (2) 
a 0.3-mile, 31-foot-wide concrete-lined headrace tunnel; (3) a 0.43-
mile, 34-foot-wide concrete-lined tailrace tunnel; (4) five 0.04-mile, 
18-foot-wide steel penstocks; (5) a 2.04-mile, 29-foot-wide concrete-
lined horizontal tunnel; and (6) a 0.15-mile, 29-foot-wide concrete-
lined vertical shaft.
    Powerhouse location would depend on the selected upper reservoir 
alternative. The powerhouse would be between 200 to 300 feet below 
ground level and constructed with steel and concrete. The structure 
would be approximately 500-feet-long, 125-feet-wide, and 150-feet-high, 
containing five pump-turbine motor sets rated at 400 megawatts (MW) 
each. Adjacent to the powerhouse, the transformers chamber would be 
constructed and reinforced with shotcrete. The chamber would be 
approximately 165-feet-long, 60-feet-wide, and 50-feet-high.
    The Pyramid Lake Pumped Storage Power Plant would interconnect to 
the Sylmar transmission line using a new 500 kilovolt (kV) transmission 
corridor about 16.5 miles long but length would vary depending on the 
selected upper reservoir alternative. The interconnection between the 
Pyramid Lake Pumped Storage Project to the Pacific DC Intertie will 
require a new converter station. From there, the power would be 
transmitted to a Rebuilt Sylmar Converter Station West. Annual energy 
production is projected to be approximately 6,900,000 megawatt-hours.
    Additionally, the project will be interconnected with proposed 
photovoltaic solar farms, through a new 500 kV transmission line to the 
new powerhouse. Two alternatives for the solar farms are proposed. The 
first alternative is a 14,000-acre, 2,000-MW solar farm on the north 
slope of Pyramid Lake. The second alternative includes two separate 
solar farms; a 10,000-acre, 1,428-MW facility on the north slope of 
Pyramid Lake and a 4,000-acre, 572-MW facility on the southeast tip of 
the lake.
    Applicant Contacts: Mr. Victor M. Rojas, Managing Director, Premium 
Energy Holdings, LLC, 355 South Lemon Avenue, Suite A, Walnut, CA 
91789; email: [email protected]; phone: (909) 595-5314.
    FERC Contact: Shannon Archuleta; email; [email protected]; 
phone (503) 552-2739.
    The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports 
meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission 
proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners, 
environmental justice communities, Tribal members, and others, access 
publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For 
public inquiries and assistance with filings such as interventions, 
comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is encouraged to 
contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or [email protected]. Comments, motions to 
intervene, competing applications (without notices of intent), or 
notices of intent to file competing applications should be submitted 
within 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://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 https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You 
must include your name and contact information at the end of your 
comments. For assistance, please get in touch with FERC Online Support 
at [email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll-free), or (202) 
502-8659 (TTY). Instead 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-15291-000.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the ``eLibrary'' link of the 
Commission's website at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-15291) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, do not hesitate to get in touch with FERC 
Online Support.

    Dated: July 13, 2023.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-15314 Filed 7-18-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


