2019-21142. Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing Applications; Premium Energy Holdings, LLC

On May 9, 2019, 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 Intermountain Pumped Storage Project (Intermountain Project or project) to be located on the Sevier River and Fool Creek, near the city of Delta, Millard County, Utah. 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 be a closed-loop pumped storage hydropower facility. The applicant proposes three alternative upper reservoirs: Dry Fork Reservoir, Mill Canyon Reservoir, or Williams Reservoir. The proposed DMAD 2 Reservoir would be the lower reservoir for each alternative.

Upper Reservoir Alternative 1: Dry Fork Reservoir

The Dry Fork Reservoir alternative consists of: (1) A 277-acre upper reservoir having a total storage capacity of 39,612 acre-feet at a normal maximum operating elevation of 6,200 feet mean sea level (msl); (2) a 370-foot-high, 2,637-foot-long roller compacted concrete upper reservoir dam; (3) a 1.2-mile-long, 38-foot-diameter concrete-lined headrace tunnel; (4) a 0.16-mile-long, 34-foot-diameter concrete-lined vertical shaft; (5) a 7.05-mile-long, 34-foot-diameter concrete-lined horizontal tunnel; (6) five 0.10-mile-long, 22-foot-diameter steel penstocks; (7) a 500-foot-long, 125-foot-wide, 150-foot-high concrete-lined powerhouse located in an underground cavern, housing five pump-turbine generator-motor units rated for 400 megawatts (MW) each; and (8) a 1.2-mile-long, 40-foot-diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel discharging into the proposed DMAD 2 Reservoir.

Upper Reservoir Alternative 2: Mill Canyon Reservoir

The Mill Canyon Reservoir alternative consists of: (1) A 210-acre upper reservoir having a total storage capacity of 30,344 acre-feet at a normal maximum operating elevation of 6,600 feet msl; (2) a 385-foot-high, 2,223-foot-long roller compacted concrete upper reservoir dam; (3) a 1.15-mile-long, 34-foot-diameter concrete-lined headrace tunnel; (4) a 0.28-mile-long, 30-foot-diameter concrete-lined vertical shaft; (5) a 7.6-mile-long, 30-foot-diameter concrete-lined horizontal tunnel; (6) five 0.15-mile-long, 19-foot-diameter steel penstocks; (7) a 500-foot-long, 125-foot-wide, 150-foot-high concrete-lined powerhouse located in an underground cavern, housing five pump-turbine generator-motor units rated for 400 MW each; and (8) a 1.7-mile-long, 36-foot-diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel discharging into the proposed DMAD 2 Reservoir.

Upper Reservoir Alternative 3: Williams Reservoir

The Williams Reservoir alternative consists of: (1) A 180-acre upper reservoir having a total storage capacity of 28,063 acre-feet at a normal maximum operating elevation of 7,140 feet msl; (2) a 475-foot-high, 1,850-foot-long roller compacted concrete upper reservoir dam; (3) a 1.1-mile-long, 30-foot-diameter concrete-lined headrace tunnel; (4) a 0.4-mile-long, 27-foot-diameter concrete-lined vertical shaft; (5) a 10.05-mile-long, 27-foot-diameter concrete-lined horizontal tunnel; (6) five 0.10-mile-long, 17-foot-diameter steel penstocks; (7) a 500-foot-long, 125-foot-wide, 150-foot-high concrete-lined powerhouse located in an underground cavern, housing five pump-turbine generator-motor units rated for 400 mW each; and (8) a 2.3-mile-long, 32-foot-diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel discharging into the proposed DMAD 2 Reservoir.

Lower Reservoir: DMAD 2 Reservoir

The proposed DMAD 2 Reservoir would consist of: (1) A 3,186-acre lower reservoir having a total storage capacity 48,915 acre-feet at a normal maximum operating elevation of 4,700 feet msl; and (2) a 45-foot-high, 2,142-foot-long roller compacted concrete lower reservoir dam.

Interconnection

For each upper reservoir alternative, project power would be transmitted to the grid via: (1) Two new, approximately 11-mile-long, 345 kilovolt (kV) transmission lines extending from the powerhouse to the existing Intermountain AC switchyard owned by Intermountain Power (the point of interconnection); and (2) appurtenant facilities. The estimated annual generation of the Intermountain Project under each of the alternatives would be 6,900 gigawatt-hours.

Applicant Contact: Victor M. Rojas, Managing Director, Premium Energy Holdings, LLC, 355 South Lemon Avenue, Suite A, Walnut, California 91789; phone: [phone].

FERC Contact: Kyle Olcott; phone: [phone].

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 [e-mail], [phone] (toll free), or [phone] (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper copy to: Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426. The first page of any filing should include docket number P-14993-000.

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-14993) in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

Dated: September 24, 2019.

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,

Deputy Secretary.