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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 226 (Friday, November 22, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 92673-92675]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-27356]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 175-032]

Pacific Gas and Electric Company; 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.: 175-132.
    c. Date filed: April 18, 2024.
    d. Applicant: Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
    e. Name of Project: Balch Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located Fresno County, 
California, is in the Sierra Nevada, approximately 45 miles northeast 
of the City of Fresno and on the North Fork Kings River. The North Fork 
Kings River drains into the Kings River, which then drains into the San 
Joaquin River. PG&E's proposed FERC Project Boundary includes 694.67 
acres of lands, of which 491.50 acres are United States (U.S.) lands, 
all of which are National Forest System.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791a-825r.
    h. Applicant Contact: Dave Gabbard, Vice President Power 
Generation, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, 300 Lakeside Drive, 
Oakland, CA 94612; telephone at (650) 207-9705; email at 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Benjamin Mann Project Coordinator, West Branch, 
Division of Hydropower Licensing; telephone at (202) 502-8127; email at 
[email protected].
    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 https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERC.aspx. Commenters can submit brief 
comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the 
eComment system

[[Page 92674]]

at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/Quick.aspx. For assistance, please 
contact FERC Online Support at [email protected], (866) 208-
3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic 
filing, you may submit a paper copy. Submissions sent via the U.S. 
Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, 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, 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: Balch Hydroelectric Project (P-175-032).
    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 existing Balch Hydroelectric Project (project) includes the 
following facilities: (1) a 135-foot-high, 396-foot-long diversion dam 
with a crest elevation of 4,098 feet that includes a 364-foot-long 
spillway and is located on the North Fork Kings River 9.9 miles 
upstream of the confluence with Kings River; (2) the 35-acre Black Rock 
Reservoir with a usable storage capacity of 1,260 acre-feet at a normal 
water surface elevation of 4,097 feet; (3) an 11-foot-high, concrete 
tunnel intake; (4) a water conveyance system consisting of: (a) a 
19,336-foot-long tunnel with a maximum hydraulic capacity of 760 cubic 
feet per second (cfs) that includes the 308-foot-long Black Rock Adit, 
the 350-foot-long Weir Creek Adit, an unlined surge chamber, and two 
sluice channels; (5) a 4,905.6-foot-long penstock leading to the Balch 
No. 1 Powerhouse and a 4,933.3-foot-long penstock leading to the Balch 
No. 2 Powerhouse; (6) the 65.5- foot-long, 80.5-foot-wide Balch No. 1 
Powerhouse housing one turbine-generator unit with an authorized 
installed capacity of 31.02 megawatts (MW) and a maximum hydraulic 
capacity of 213 cfs; (7) the 149-foot-long, 84-foot-wide Balch No. 2 
Powerhouse housing two turbine-generator units with a total authorized 
installed capacity of 105 MW and a maximum hydraulic capacity of 315 
cfs; (8) a 165-foot-high, 238-foot-long afterbay dam with a crest 
elevation of 1,704 feet that includes a 238-foot-long spillway; (9) a 
7-acre afterbay with a usable storage capacity of 135 acre-feet; (10) 
project roads and trails; (11) recreation facilities; (12) a 22-mile-
long, 115-kilovolt (kV) transmission line connecting the project with 
the grid at Piedra Junction; (13) the 76-acre Balch Camp, which is the 
project operating headquarters and includes personnel housing; (14) a 
6.2-mile-line, 12-kV distribution line connecting Balch Camp with the 
project's diversion dam; and (15) appurtenant facilities.
    The Balch Project is located downstream of PG&E's Haas-Kings River 
Hydroelectric Project No. 1988 and Helms Pumped Storage Project No. 
2735, which use the same reservoirs (Courtright Lake and Lake Wilshon) 
for operation. The project is operated as a peaking facility to 
generate power that is released from upstream storage to meet power 
demand and for irrigation purposes. Project operation is coordinated 
with Project No. 1988, whose releases from Lake Wilshon largely control 
inflow to Black Rock Reservoir; however, spill fluctuations at the 
project are possible at times when inflow exceeds powerhouse capacity 
and during powerhouse outages.
    The current license requires PG&E to maintain the following 
continuous minimum flows in the North Kings River: (1) during normal 
water years: (a) from June 1 through November 31, 5 cfs from Black Rock 
Reservoir, 15 cfs from Balch Afterbay, and 30 cfs of total river flow; 
and (b) from December 1 through May 31, 2.5 cfs from Black Rock 
Reservoir, 10 cfs from Balch Afterbay, and 30 cfs of total river flow; 
(2) during dry water years, as defined by the California Department of 
Water Resources, year-round flows of 2.5 cfs from Black Rock Reservoir, 
10 cfs from Balch Afterbay, and 20 cfs of total river flow.
    PG&E proposes to continue operating the project in a manner that is 
consistent with current operation, with the exception of the following 
new proposed measures: (1) minimum flows and water year types, (2) a 
recreation plan, (3) a biological resources management plan, (4) a 
historic properties management plan, (5) low-level operations, (6) 
flood period operations, (7) a hazardous substance plan, (8) a gaging 
plan, (9) visual resources management, (10) a fire management and 
response plan, and (11) a transportation system management plan.
    m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission's 
website at https://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 Online 
Support at [email protected] or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 
or (202) 502-8659 (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.
    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 submitting the filing; 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.
    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 [email protected].
    o. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following preliminary schedule. Revisions to the schedule will 
be made as appropriate.

[[Page 92675]]

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              Milestone                               Date
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Issue Scoping Document 1.............  December 2024.
Comments on Scoping Document 1 Due...  January 2025.
Issue Request for Additional           January 2025.
 Information (if necessary).
Issue Scoping Document 2 (if           March 2025.
 necessary).
Issue Notice of Ready for              November 2025.
 Environmental Analysis.
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    Dated: November 15, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-27356 Filed 11-21-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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