[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30213-30214]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-14710]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket Nos. EA-181, EA-182, EA-183, EA-184, EA-185, EA-186]


Applications to Export Electric Energy; H.Q. Energy Services 
(U.S.) Inc., NGE Generation, Inc., Morgan Stanley Capital Group, Inc., 
and New England Power Pool

AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of applications.

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SUMMARY: H.Q. Energy Services (U.S.) Inc. (HQUS) and Morgan Stanley 
Capital Group, Inc. (Morgan Stanley), both power marketers, have 
submitted applications to export electric energy to Mexico and to 
Canada pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act. NGE 
Generation, Inc. (NGE Gen), a generation-owning subsidiary of New York 
State Electric & Gas Corporation (NYSEG), has submitted an application 
to export electric energy to Canada. The New England Power Pool 
(NEPOOL) has submitted an application to export electric energy to 
Canada on an emergency basis.

DATES: Comments, protests or requests to intervene must be submitted on 
or before July 6, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments, protests or requests to intervene should be 
addressed as follows: Office of Coal & Power Im/Ex (FE-27), Office of 
Fossil Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, 
Washington, DC 20585-0350 (FAX 202-287-5736).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Russell (Program Office) 202-
586-9624 or Michael Skinker (Program Attorney) 202-586-6667.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exports of electricity from the United 
States to a foreign country are regulated and require authorization 
under section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act (FPA) (16 U.S.C. 
Sec. 824a(e)).
    The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy (DOE) 
has received applications from the following companies for 
authorization to export electric energy to Mexico, pursuant to section 
202(e) of the FPA:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Application                      
              Applicant                    date          Docket No.     
------------------------------------------------------------------------
H.Q. Energy Services (U.S.) Inc......     4/27/98   EA-181              
Morgan Stanley Capital Group, Inc....     5/15/98   EA-184              
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    FE has also received applications from the following companies for 
authorization to export electric energy to Canada, pursuant to section 
202(e) of the FPA:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         Application                    
               Applicant                     date         Docket No.    
------------------------------------------------------------------------
H.Q. Energy Services (U.S.) Inc........     4/27/98   EA-182            
NGE Generation, Inc....................      5/4/98   EA-183            
Morgan Stanley Capital Group, Inc......     5/15/98   EA-185            
New England Power Pool.................     5/15/98   EA-186            
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    HQUS is a power marketer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Hydro-
Quebec, the provincial electric utility of Canada's Province of Quebec. 
In Docket Nos. EA-181 and EA-182, HQUS proposes to export to Mexico and 
to Canada, respectively, electric energy purchased from a variety of 
entities such as power marketers, independent power producers (IPP's), 
U.S. electric utilities and Federal power marketing agencies, and from 
Hydro-Quebec or other foreign utilities. HQUS claims that the purchased 
energy would be surplus to the needs of these entities.
    In Docket Nos. EA-184 and EA-185, Morgan Stanley proposes to export 
to Mexico and to Canada, respectively, electric energy purchased from 
U.S. electric utilities, Federal power marketing agencies, IPP's, 
qualifying small power production and cogeneration facilities, and 
other sellers.
    HQUS and Morgan Stanley would arrange for the exported energy to be 
transmitted to Mexico over the international transmission facilities 
owned by the Central Power & Light Company, El Paso Electric Company, 
San Diego Gas & Electric Company, and Comision Federal de Electricidad, 
the national electric utility of Mexico.
    HQUS and Morgan Stanley each proposed to arrange for the exported 
energy to be transmitted to Canada over the international transmission 
facilities owned by Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Bonneville Power 
Administration, Bradfield Electric Incorporated, Citizens Utilities, 
Detroit Edison Company, Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative, Fraser 
Paper Limited, Joint Owners of the Highgate Project, Long Sault 
Incorporated, Maine Electric Power Company, Maine Public Service 
Company, Minnesota Power and Light Company, Minnkota Power Cooperative, 
New York Power Authority, Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, Northern 
States Power, and Vermont Electric Transmission Company.
    NGE Gen is a generator and seller of electric energy and an 
affiliate of NYSEG, an investor-owned electric and gas utility, which 
is a subsidiary of Energy East. As a result of a Restructuring 
Agreement, NGE Gen supplies NYSEG with capacity and energy which NYSEG 
uses to serve its retail customers in New York State. In Docket EA-183, 
NGE Gen proposes to export to Canada electric energy that it obtains 
from two sources: NGE Gen's system generation that is surplus to the 
needs of NYSEG; and energy that NGE Gen purchases from U.S. utilities 
and power marketing agencies. The exported energy would be transmitted 
to Canada using the international transmission facilities of Niagara 
Mohawk Power Company and the New York Power Authority.
    New England Power Pool (NEPOOL) is a collection of 130 electric 
utilities and power marketers in New England. In Docket EA-186 NEPOOL 
requests authority, on behalf of its members, to export up to 200 
megawatts (MW) of emergency electric energy to Hydro Quebec using the 
transmission facilities of the Joint Owners of the Highgate Project. 
Operational control of all bulk power facilities in the New England 
region is under the authority of ISO New England Inc., an independent 
system operator accepted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. 
NEPOOL asserts that the proposed emergency exports will not be combined 
with other electricity exports over the Highgate Project so as to 
result in an instantaneous transmission rate in excess of the existing 
export limitation of 200 MW.
    The construction of each of the international transmission 
facilities to be utilized by these applicants, as more fully described 
in the applications, has previously been authorized by a Presidential 
permit issued pursuant to Executive Order 10485, as amended.

Procedural Matters

    Any persons desiring to become a party to any or all of these 
proceedings or to be heard by filing comments or protests to these 
applications should file a petition to intervene, comment or protest at 
the address provided above in

[[Page 30214]]

accordance with Secs. 385.211 or 385.214 of the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 
385.211, 385.214). Fifteen copies of such petitions and protests should 
be filed with the DOE on or before the date listed above.
    Comments on HQUS's request to export to Mexico should be clearly 
marked with Docket EA-181. Comments on HQUS's request to export to 
Canada should be clearly marked with Docket EA-182. Additional copies 
are to be filed directly with Gilles Marchand, Marchand, Lemieus, 75, 
boul. Rene-Levesque, W. 4th etage, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2Z 1A4, 
Mathew LaRocque, H.Q. Energy Services (U.S.) Inc., 159 State Street, 
Montpelier, Vermont 05602 and Pierre F. De Ravel d'Esclapon, H. Lisa 
Moses, LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, L.L.P. 125 West 55th Street, New 
York, New York 10019-5389.
    Comments on NGE Gen's request to export to Canada should be clearly 
marked with Docket EA-183. Additional copies are to be filed directly 
with John R. Tigue, Manager--Bulk Power Sales, New York State Electric 
& Gas Corp., Corporate Drive, Kirkwood Industrial Park, P.O. Box 5224, 
Binghamton, New York 13902-5224 and Nicholas A. Giannasca, Esq., Huber 
Lawrence & Abell, 605 Third Avenue, 27th Floor, New York, New York 
10158.
    Comments on Morgan Stanley's request to export to Mexico should be 
clearly marked with Docket EA-184. Comments on Morgan Stanley's request 
to export to Canada should be clearly marked with Docket EA-185. 
Additional copies are to be filed directly with William H. Penniman, 
Daniel E. Frank, Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan, 1275 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004-2415 and William F. McCoy, Esq., VP 
and Counsel, Morgan Stanley & Co., 1585 Broadway, New York, NY 10023.
    Comments on NEPOOL's request to export to Canada should be clearly 
marked with Docket EA-186. Additional copies are to be filed directly 
with Richard M. Chapman, Chair, NEPOOL Executive Committee, Vermont 
Electric Power Company, Inc., Pinnacle Ridge Ave., RR1 Box 4077, 
Rutland, VT 05701 and David T. Doot, Esq., Day, Berry & Howard, 
CityPlace I, Hartford,CT 06103-3499.
    A final decision will be made on these applications after the 
environmental impacts have been evaluated pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), and a determination is made by 
the DOE that the proposed actions will not adversely impact on the 
reliability of the U.S. electric power supply system.
    Copies of these applications will be made available, upon request, 
for public inspection and copying at the address provided above.

    Issued in Washington, DC on May 29, 1998.
Anthony J. Como,
Manager, Electric Power Regulation, Office of Coal and Power Im/Ex, 
Office of Coal and Power Systems, Office of Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. 98-14710 Filed 6-2-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P