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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 58 (Friday, March 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17080-17083]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06305]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Southeastern Power Administration

Proposed Rate Adjustment, Public Forum, and Opportunities for 
Public Review and Comment for Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina System of 
Projects

AGENCY: Southeastern Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rate.

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SUMMARY: Southeastern Power Administration (Southeastern) proposes to 
revise existing schedules of rates and charges applicable to the sale 
of power from the Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina System of Projects 
effective for a 5-year period, October 1, 2022, through September 30, 
2027. Additionally, opportunities will be available for interested 
persons to review the present rates and the proposed rates and 
supporting studies, to participate in a public forum and to submit 
written comments. Southeastern will evaluate all comments received in 
this process.

DATES: Written comments are due on or before June 23, 2022. A public 
information and comment forum will be held in Atlanta, Georgia at 2:00 
p.m. EDT on April 26, 2022. Persons desiring to attend the forum should 
notify Southeastern by April 19, 2022, so a list of forum participants 
can be prepared. Persons desiring to speak at the forum should specify 
this in their notification to Southeastern; others may speak if time 
permits. Notifications should be submitted by Email to 
[email protected]. If Southeastern has not been notified by close 
of business on April 19, 2022, that at least one person intends to be 
present at the forum, the forum may be canceled with no further notice.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Administrator,

[[Page 17081]]

Southeastern Power Administration, Department of Energy, 1166 Athens 
Tech Road, Elberton, Georgia 30635-6711; Email: [email protected]. 
The public information and comment forum for the Georgia-Alabama-South 
Carolina System of Projects will take place at the Atlanta Airport 
Marriott, 4711 Best Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30337.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexa Webb, Public Utilities 
Specialist, Southeastern Power Administration, Department of Energy, 
1166 Athens Tech Road, Elberton, Georgia 30635, (706) 213-3800; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(FERC) confirmed and approved on a final basis Wholesale Power Rate 
Schedules SOCO-1-F, SOCO-2-F, SOCO-3-F, SOCO-4-F, ALA-1-O, Duke-1-F, 
Duke-2-F, Duke-3-F, Duke-4-F, Santee-1-F, Santee-2-F, Santee-3-F, 
Santee-4-F, SCE&G-1-F, SCE&G-2-F, SCE&G-3-F, SCE&G-4-F, Pump-1-A, and 
Replacement-1 applicable to Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina System of 
Projects' power for a period ending September 30, 2022. (FERC Docket 
No. EF17-5-000; 162 FERC ] 62,059 (Jan. 25, 2018)).
    Discussion: The Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina System (System) 
consists of ten projects in or on the border of the states of Georgia, 
Alabama, and South Carolina. The power generated at these projects is 
purchased by and benefits 192 preference customers in Alabama, Florida, 
Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The System 
provides 2,184,257 kilowatts of capacity and about 3,383,000 MWh of 
average annual energy from stream-flow based on modeling for the period 
of record.
    Existing rate schedules are predicated upon a February 2017 
repayment study and other supporting data. A repayment study prepared 
in January of 2022 shows a two percent (2%) increase in the revenue 
requirement is necessary due to an increase in forecast transmission 
service purchase costs. The revenue requirement is $203,650,000 per 
year. Southeastern is proposing to revise the existing rate schedules 
to generate this revenue. The proposed rate adjustment is a reduction 
of about one percent (1%) in the rates for capacity and an increase in 
the energy rate of about four percent (4%).
    Southeastern is proposing the following rate schedules to be 
effective for the period from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 
2027.

Rate Schedule SOCO-1-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in Georgia, Alabama, 
Mississippi, and Florida to whom power may be wheeled and scheduled 
pursuant to contracts between the Government and Southern Company 
Services, Incorporated.

Rate Schedule SOCO-2-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in Georgia, Alabama, 
Mississippi, and Florida to whom power may be wheeled pursuant to 
contracts between the Government and Southern Company Services, 
Incorporated. The customer is responsible for providing a scheduling 
arrangement with the Government.

Rate Schedule SOCO-3-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in Georgia, Alabama, 
Mississippi, and Florida to whom power may be scheduled pursuant to 
contracts between the Government and Southern Company Services, 
Incorporated. The customer is responsible for providing a transmission 
arrangement.

Rate Schedule SOCO-4-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in Georgia, Alabama, 
Mississippi, and Florida served through the transmission facilities of 
Southern Company Services, Inc. The customer is responsible for 
providing a scheduling arrangement with the Government and for 
providing a transmission arrangement.

Rate Schedule Duke-1-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in North Carolina and 
South Carolina to whom power may be wheeled and scheduled pursuant to 
contracts between the Government and Duke Power Company.

Rate Schedule Duke-2-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in North Carolina and 
South Carolina to whom power may be wheeled pursuant to contracts 
between the Government and Duke Power Company. The customer is 
responsible for providing a scheduling arrangement with the Government.

Rate Schedule Duke-3-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in North Carolina and 
South Carolina to whom power may be scheduled pursuant to contracts 
between the Government and Duke Power Company. The customer is 
responsible for providing a transmission arrangement.

Rate Schedule Duke-4-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in North Carolina and 
South Carolina served through the transmission facilities of Duke Power 
Company. The customer is responsible for providing a scheduling 
arrangement with the Government and for providing a transmission 
arrangement.

Rate Schedule Santee-1-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina to 
whom power may be wheeled and scheduled pursuant to contracts between 
the Government and South Carolina Public Service Authority.

Rate Schedule Santee-2-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina to 
whom power may be wheeled pursuant to contracts between the Government 
and South Carolina Public Service Authority. The customer is 
responsible for providing a scheduling arrangement with the Government.

Rate Schedule Santee-3-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina to 
whom power may be scheduled pursuant to contracts between the 
Government and South Carolina Public Service Authority. The customer is 
responsible for providing a transmission arrangement.

Rate Schedule Santee-4-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina 
served through the transmission facilities of South Carolina Public 
Service Authority. The customer is responsible for providing a 
scheduling arrangement with the Government and for providing a 
transmission arrangement.

Rate Schedule SCE&G-1-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina to 
whom power may be wheeled and scheduled pursuant to contracts between 
the Government and Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc.

Rate Schedule SCE&G-2-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina to 
whom power may be wheeled pursuant to contracts between the Government 
and Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc. The customer is responsible 
for providing a scheduling arrangement with the Government.

Rate Schedule SCE&G-3-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina to 
whom

[[Page 17082]]

power may be scheduled pursuant to contracts between the Government and 
Dominion Energy South Carolina, Inc. The customer is responsible for 
providing a transmission arrangement.

Rate Schedule SCE&G-4-G

    Available to public bodies and cooperatives in South Carolina 
served through the transmission facilities of Dominion Energy South 
Carolina, Inc. The customer is responsible for providing a scheduling 
arrangement with the Government and for providing a transmission 
arrangement.

Rate Schedule Pump-1-A

    Available to all customers of the Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina 
System and applicable to energy from pumping operations at the Carters 
and Richard B. Russell projects.

Rate Schedule Replacement-1

    Available to all customers in the Georgia-Alabama-South Carolina 
System and applicable to replacement energy.
    The proposed rates for capacity, energy, and generation services 
are as follows:

Capacity.........................           $4.04   per kilowatt (kW)
                                                     per month.
Energy...........................           12.80   mills per kilowatt-
                                                     hour.
Generation Services..............           $0.12   per kW per month.
 

    Under this scenario, 75 percent of generation revenues are 
recovered from capacity sales and 25 percent are recovered from energy 
sales. These rates are expected to produce an average revenue of 
$203,595,000 in FY 2023 and all future years.
    The rates for transmission, scheduling, reactive supply, and 
regulation and frequency response apply to all four scenarios and are 
illustrated in Table 1.

 Southeastern Power Administration Proposed Rates for Transmission Scheduling, Reactive, and Regulation Charges
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Transmission       Scheduling      Reactive charge     Regulation
                                               charge            charge      ------------------      charge
              Rate schedule              ------------------------------------                  -----------------
                                             $/kW/month        $/kW/month        $/kW/month        $/kW/month
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOCO-1-G................................              4.08            0.0806              0.11            0.0483
SOCO-2-G................................              4.08  ................              0.11  ................
SOCO-3-G................................  ................            0.0806  ................            0.0483
SOCO-4-G................................  ................  ................  ................  ................
Duke-1-G................................              1.51  ................  ................  ................
Duke-2-G................................              1.51  ................  ................  ................
Duke-3-G................................  ................  ................  ................  ................
Duke-4-G................................  ................  ................  ................  ................
Santee-1-G..............................              1.88  ................  ................  ................
Santee-2-G..............................              1.88  ................  ................  ................
Santee-3-G..............................  ................  ................  ................  ................
Santee-4-G..............................  ................  ................  ................  ................
SCE&G-1-G...............................              5.07  ................  ................  ................
SCE&G-2-G...............................              5.07  ................  ................  ................
SCE&G-3-G...............................  ................  ................  ................  ................
SCE&G-4-G...............................  ................  ................  ................  ................
Pump-1-A................................  ................  ................  ................  ................
Replacement-1...........................  ................  ................  ................  ................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The referenced repayment studies are available for examination at 
1166 Athens Tech Road, Elberton, Georgia 30635-6711. Proposed Rate 
Schedules SOCO-1-G, SOCO-2-G, SOCO-3-G, SOCO-4-G, Duke-1-G, Duke-2-G, 
Duke-3-G, Duke-4-G, Santee-1-G, Santee-2-G, Santee-3-G, Santee-4-G, 
SCE&G-1-G, SCE&G-2-G, SCE&G-3-G, SCE&G-4-G, Pump-1-A, and Replacement-1 
are also available.
    Legal Authority: By Delegation Order No. 00-037.00B, effective 
November 19, 2016, the Secretary of Energy delegated to Southeastern's 
Administrator the authority to develop power and transmission rates, to 
the Deputy Secretary of Energy the authority to confirm, approve, and 
place such rates into effect on an interim basis, and to FERC the 
authority to confirm, approve, and place into effect on a final basis, 
or to disapprove, rates developed by the Administrator under the 
delegation. By Delegation Order No. S1-DEL-S4-2021-2, effective 
December 8, 2021, the Secretary of Energy also delegated the authority 
to confirm, approve, and place such rates into effect on an interim 
basis to the Under Secretary for Science (and Energy). By Redelegation 
Order No. S4-DEL-OE1-2021-2, also effective December 8, 2021, the Under 
Secretary for Science (and Energy) redelegated the authority to 
confirm, approve, and place such rates into effect on an interim basis 
to the Assistant Secretary for Electricity. By Redelegation Order No. 
00-002.10-03, effective July 8, 2020, the Assistant Secretary for 
Electricity further redelegated the authority to confirm, approve, and 
place such rates into effect on an interim basis to the Administrator, 
Southeastern Power Administration. This redelegation order, despite 
predating the December 2021 delegations, remains valid. This rate is 
proposed by the Administrator, Southeastern Power Administration, 
pursuant to the authority delegated in Delegation Order No. 00-037.00B.
    Environmental Impact: Southeastern has reviewed the possible 
environmental impacts of the rate adjustment under consideration and 
has concluded that, because the adjusted rates would not significantly 
affect the quality of the human environment within the meaning of the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as

[[Page 17083]]

amended, the proposed action is not a major Federal action for which 
preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement is required.
    Determination Under Executive Order 12866: Southeastern has an 
exemption from centralized regulatory review under Executive Order 
12866; accordingly, no clearance of this notice by the Office of 
Management and Budget is required.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on March 22, 
2022, by Virgil G. Hobbs III, Administrator for Southeastern Power 
Administration, pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary of 
Energy. That document, with the original signature and date, is 
maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in compliance 
with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the 
undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to 
sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as 
an official document of the Department of Energy. This administrative 
process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon 
publication in the Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on March 22, 2022.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2022-06305 Filed 3-24-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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