2022-27310. Lake Lynn Generation, LLC; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With The Commission and Soliciting Additional Study Requests and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Relicensing and a Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments

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.: 2459-279.

c. Date filed: November 30, 2022.

d. Applicant: Lake Lynn Generation, LLC.

e. Name of Project: Lake Lynn Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: On the Cheat River, near the city of Morgantown, in Monongalia County, West Virginia, and near the borough of Point Marion, in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. The project does not occupy any federal land.

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

h. Applicant Contact: Jody Smet, Lake Lynn Generation, LLC, 7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1100W, Bethesda, MD 20814; Phone at [phone]; or email at [e-mail].

i. FERC Contact: Joshua Dub at [phone], or [e-mail].

j. Cooperating agencies: Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental issues that wish to cooperate in the preparation of the environmental document should follow the instructions for filing such requests described in item l below. Cooperating agencies should note the Commission's policy that agencies that cooperate in the preparation of the environmental document cannot also intervene. See, 94 FERC ¶ 61,076 (2001).

k. Pursuant to section 4.32(b)(7) of 18 CFR of the Commission's regulations, if any resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person believes that an additional scientific study should be conducted in order to form an adequate factual basis for a complete analysis of the application on its merit, the resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person must file a request for a study with the Commission not later than 60 days from the date of filing of the application, and serve a copy of the request on the applicant.

l. Deadline for filing additional study requests and requests for cooperating agency status: January 29, 2023.

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file additional study requests and requests for cooperating agency status using the Commission's eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/​FERCOnline.aspx. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail], [phone] (toll free), or [phone] (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. All filings must clearly identify the project name and docket number on the first page: Lake Lynn Hydroelectric Project (P-2459-279).

m. The application is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

n. The existing Lake Lynn Project consists of: (1) a 13 mile-long, 1,729-acre impoundment (Lake Lynn) with a maximum storage capacity of 72,300 acre-feet at a normal water surface elevation of 870 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) and a normal minimum storage capacity of 51,100 acre-feet at 857 feet NGVD 29; (2) a 1,000-foot-long, 125-foot-high, concrete gravity dam with a 624-foot-long spillway section controlled by 26, 21-foot-wide by 17-foot-high, Tainter gates; (3) a concrete intake structure equipped with a log boom and eight trash racks with 4-inch clear bar spacing; (4) eight 12-foot-wide by 18-foot-deep gated reinforced concrete penstocks; (5) a 160-foot-long by 94.5-foot-wide powerhouse containing four Francis generating units with a combined capacity of 51.2 megawatts; and (6) two 800-foot-long transmission lines that run from the powerhouse to a substation within the project boundary.

The Lake Lynn Project is currently operated as a peaking facility with storage. The hours of peaking vary depending on environmental and economic considerations. The current license requires Lake Lynn Generation, LLC to maintain Cheat Lake between 868 feet and 870 feet NGVD 29 from May 1 through October 31, 857 feet and 870 feet NGVD 29 from November 1 through March 31, and 863 feet and 870 feet NGVD 29 from April 1 through April 30 each year. The current license also requires Lake Lynn Generation, LLC to release a downstream minimum flow of 212 cubic-feet-per-second (cfs), or inflow, from the dam when not generating, with an absolute minimum flow of 100 cfs regardless of inflow, when not generating. The project generates about 144,741 megawatt-hours annually.

Lake Lynn Generation, LLC proposes to continue operating the project as a peaking facility with storage, and does not propose any new development at the project.

o. In addition to publishing the full text of this notice in the Federal Register , the Commission provides all interested persons an opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this notice, as well as other documents in the proceeding ( e.g., license application) 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 (P-2459). For assistance, contact FERC at [e-mail], or call toll-free, [phone], or [phone] (TTY).

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.

p. Procedural schedule and final amendments: The application will be processed according to the following preliminary schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.

Issue Deficiency Letter (if necessary)—February 2023

Request Additional Information—February 2023

Issue Acceptance Letter—June 2023

Issue Scoping Document 1 for comments—June 2023

Issue Scoping Document 2 (if necessary)—August 2023

Issue Notice of Ready for Environmental Analysis—August 2023

Final amendments to the application must be filed with the Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice of ready for environmental analysis.

Dated: December 12, 2022.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.