2024-02605. Eagle Creek Schoolfield Hydro, LLC, City of Danville; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests

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.: 2411–030.

c. Date filed: July 29, 2022.

d. Applicant: Eagle Creek Schoolfield, LLC and City of Danville.

e. Name of Project: Schoolfield Hydroelectric Project (Schoolfield Project or project).

f. Location: On the Dan River at approximately river mile 60.1 in the county of Pittsylvania, near the City of Danville, Virginia.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r).

h. Applicant Contact: Jody Smet, Vice President, Engineering and Regulatory Affairs, Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, LLC, 7315 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 1100W, Bethesda, Maryland 20814; phone at (804) 382–1764 or email at [e-mail]; Joyce Foster, Director, Licensing and Compliance, Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, LLC, 7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1100W, Bethesda, Maryland 20814; phone at (804) 338–5110 or email at [e-mail]; and Mr. W. Clarke Whitfield, Junior, City Attorney, City of Danville, 427 Patton Street, Room 421, Danville, Virginia 24541; phone at (434) 799–5122 or email at [e-mail].

i. FERC Contact: Claire Rozdilski at 202–502–8259; or email at [e-mail].

j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice.

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file motions to intervene and protests using the Commission's eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov/​docs-filing/​efiling.aspx. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail], (866) 208–3676 (toll free), or (202) 502–8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, you may send a paper copy. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. All filings must clearly identify the project name and docket number on the first page: Schoolfield Hydroelectric Project (P–2411–030).

The Commission's Rules of Practice require all intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person on the official service list for the project. Further, if an intervenor files comments or documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency.

k. This application has been accepted but is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

l. The Schoolfield Project includes: (1) a 910-foot-long, 25-foot-high curved ogee-type concrete spillway dam with a crest elevation of 434.7 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD29) and topped with 3-foot-high wooden flashboards; (2) a reservoir having a surface area of 287 acres and a gross storage capacity of approximately 1,952 acre-feet at the project's normal maximum water surface elevation of 437.7 feet NGVD29; (3) a 224-foot-long by 35-foot-wide brick and concrete powerhouse that contains three identical 1.5-megawatt (MW) generating units (each generating unit is connected to two identical propeller-type turbine units with rated capacity of 1,006 horsepower each) for a total installed capacity of 4.5 MW; (4) a 72-foot-long headwall between the dam and the powerhouse with six low-level sluice gates and a non-operating fish ladder; (5) a tailrace that is approximately 160 feet long and 220 feet wide and separated from main river flows by a concrete wall; (6) a substation; (7) six 300-foot-long generator leads and a step-up transformer; and (8) appurtenant facilities.

The Schoolfield Project is operated in run-of-river mode, which may be suspended during reservoir drawdown and refilling for inspection of the City of Danville, Virginia's water supply intakes, which occurs on an as needed basis. During normal operation, an instantaneous minimum flow of 300 cubic feet per second is released downstream. The minimum flow is typically provided as part of generation flows. Average annual generation at the project was 15,220 megawatt-hours from 2017–2020.

m. A copy of the application is available for review 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. For assistance, contact FERC at [e-mail] or call toll free, (886) 208–3676 or TTY (202) 502–8659.

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.

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 making filings such as interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502–6595, or [e-mail].

n. Anyone may submit a protest or a motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, 385.211, and 385.214. In determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission will consider all protests filed, but only those who file a motion to intervene in accordance with the Commission's Rules may become a party to the proceeding. Any protests or motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified deadline date for the particular application.

All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title “PROTEST” or “MOTION TO INTERVENE;” (2) set forth in the heading the name of the applicant and the project number of the application to which the filing responds; (3) furnish the name, address, and telephone number of the person protesting or intervening; and (4) otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. Agencies may obtain copies of the application directly from the applicant. A copy of any protest or motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the applicant specified in the particular application.

o. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.

Issue Scoping Document 1 for comments: April 2024.

Scoping Document 1 comments due: May 2024.

Request Additional Information (if necessary): June 2024.

Issue Scoping Document 2 (if necessary): June 2024.

Issue Notice of Ready for Environmental Analysis: June 2024.

Dated: February 2, 2024.

Debbie-Anne A. Reese,

Acting Secretary.