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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 8, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6549-6550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-2848]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[OE Docket No. PP-334]

Notice of Availability for Public Comment of Interconnection 
Facilities Studies Prepared for the Proposed Energia Sierra Juarez 
Transmission Project

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of availability for public comment of Interconnection 
Facilities Studies.

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SUMMARY: Sempra Generation applied to the Department of Energy (DOE), 
on behalf of Energia Sierra Juarez U.S. Transmission, LLC, for a 
Presidential permit to construct, operate, maintain, and connect an 
electric transmission line across the U.S. border with Mexico, 
currently referred to as the Energia Sierra Juarez Transmission Project 
(ESJ Project). The ESJ Project would connect a wind energy project to 
be built in the vicinity of La Rumorosa, Baja California, Mexico, to 
San Diego Gas and Electric Company's (SDG&E) existing Southwest 
Powerlink (SWPL) 500-kV transmission line. DOE hereby announces the 
availability for public comment of the Interconnection Studies prepared 
for the ESJ Project.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before March 9, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to: Dr. Jerry Pell, Office of 
Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, OE-20, U.S. Department of 
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0001. 
Because of delays in handling conventional mail, it is recommended that 
documents be transmitted by overnight mail, by electronic mail to 
Jerry.Pell@hq.doe.gov (preferred), or by facsimile to (202) 318-7761.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Jerry Pell (Program Office) at 
(202) 586-3362, or by email to Jerry.Pell@hq.doe.gov, or contact Brian 
Mills at 2(02) 586-8267, or by email to Brian.Mills@hq.doe.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The construction, operation, maintenance, 
and connection of facilities at the international border of the United 
States for the transmission of electric energy between the United 
States and a foreign country is prohibited in the absence of a 
Presidential permit issued pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 10485, as 
amended by EO 12038.
    On December 20, 2007, Sempra Generation, on behalf of Energia 
Sierra Juarez U.S. Transmission, LLC, filed an application with the 
Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability of DOE for a 
Presidential permit. That application was originally noticed in the 
Federal Register for public comment on February 22, 2008 (73 FR 9782). 
The proposed transmission line project would connect up to 1,250 
megawatts of electric power produced from wind turbines to be located 
in the vicinity of La Rumorosa, Baja California, Mexico, to SDG&E's 
existing Southwest

[[Page 6550]]

Powerlink (SWPL) 500-kV transmission line. This La Rumorosa Wind Energy 
Project is now referred to as the ESJ Wind Project. The proposed 
transmission facilities would be about two-thirds of a mile long inside 
the United States and two miles long inside Mexico, and consist of 
either a double-circuit 230-kilovolt (kV) or a single-circuit 500-kV 
electric transmission line that would cross the U.S.-Mexico 
international border in the vicinity of Jacumba, San Diego County, 
California. The proposed facilities would include a loop-in substation 
on the SWPL. The proposed loop-in substation, known as the East County 
Substation (ECO Sub), would be owned and operated by SDG&E. From the 
U.S.-Mexico border, the proposed transmission line would continue south 
approximately two additional miles to its origination point at a future 
230/500-kV substation. The proposed transmission line located in Mexico 
and the 230/500-kV substation would be constructed, owned, operated, 
and maintained by a subsidiary of Sempra Energy Mexico.
    The proposed transmission line would be used to transmit the entire 
electrical output of the first phase of the ESJ Wind Project from 
Mexico to the United States (about 130 MW). Energy would not be 
exported from the United States to Mexico, except for the small amount 
of electrical energy needed for wind turbine lubrication, hydraulic, 
and control systems when the wind generators are not operating. Any 
entity exporting such electrical energy from the United States would 
require an electricity export authorization issued by DOE under section 
202(e) of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824a(e)).
    This Notice now announces the availability for public comment of 
the Interconnection Facilities Studies prepared as part of the 
application by Sempra Generation in conjunction with the California 
Independent System Operator that controls the grid connected to the 
project and SDG&E, which is the participating transmission owner. These 
technical transmission studies are available on DOE's project Web site 
at http://esjprojecteis.org; first go to the ``Document Library'' and 
then select the ``Reliability Studies'' section that has been added at 
the very top of that page.
    All comments received in response to this Notice will be posted on 
DOE's project Web site and made a part of the record in this proceeding 
to be considered by DOE before making a final determination on the 
issuance of a Presidential permit for the ESJ Project.
    Before a Presidential permit may be issued or amended, DOE must 
determine that the proposed action is in the public interest. In making 
that determination, DOE considers the environmental impacts of the 
proposed project pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969, determines the project's impact on electric reliability 
by ascertaining whether the proposed project would adversely affect the 
operation of the U.S. electric power supply system under normal and 
contingency conditions, and any other factors that DOE may also 
consider relevant to the public interest. Also, DOE must obtain the 
concurrences of the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense 
before taking final action on a Presidential permit application.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 2, 2012.
Brian Mills,
Director, Permitting and Siting, Office of Electricity Delivery and 
Energy Reliability.
[FR Doc. 2012-2848 Filed 2-7-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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