Document ID: FERC-2023-0412-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Guidance: Revised Final Engineering Guidelines for the Evaluation of Hydropower Projects
Posted Date: 2023-04-05T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 5, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20160-20162]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07015]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. AD20-21-000]

Notice of Availability of Revised Final Engineering Guidelines 
for the Evaluation of Hydropower Projects: Chapter 16--Part 12d Program

    On December 16, 2021, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
issued a Notice of Availability of Final Engineering Guidelines for the 
Evaluation of Hydropower Projects: Chapter 16--Part 12D Program.\1\ 
Chapter 16 provides licensee guidance related to any Periodic 
Inspection or Comprehensive Assessment performed, and the report on it 
filed, to fulfill the requirements defined in Title 18 Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) Part 12, Subpart D. The Chapter includes an overview 
of the part 12D program, as well as six appendices. Appendices B, C, D, 
and E are outlines for the four major types of reports that must be 
submitted. Due to a compilation error during final preparation of the 
chapter, four of the included appendices were from an outdated draft 
version that did not incorporate all of the changes that staff made to 
address comments received on the draft chapter. This notice provides a 
revised version of Chapter 16's appendices B, C, D, and E, which were 
the only portions of Chapter 16 that were affected by this error.
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    \1\ Chapter 16 is one of four new chapters of the Guidelines 
providing additional guidance related to 18 CFR part 12, Safety of 
Water Power Projects and Project Works, for which a Final Rule was 
also issued on December 16, 2021. Final Rule, Order No. 880, 87 FR 
1490 (Jan. 11, 2022), 177 FERC ] 61,204 (2021).
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    The appendices provide the outlines and instructions for several 
required filings that document a Part 12D Inspection and are required 
by the Commission's regulations: Appendix B: the Periodic Inspection 
Report (PIR), Appendix C: Periodic Inspection Pre-Inspection 
Preparation Report (PI-PIPR), Appendix D: Comprehensive Assessment 
Report (CAR), and Appendix E: Comprehensive Assessment Pre-Inspection 
Preparation Report (CA-PIPR). These revisions to Appendices B through E 
ensure that the report outlines and content are consistent with the 
corresponding text in the body of Chapter 16. The revisions in each 
appendix are described below.

Chapter 16, Appendix B--Outline for the Periodic Inspection Report

 Section 1.2 Potential Failure Modes and Risk
    [cir] Listed the types of potential failure modes (PFMs) to 
summarize and provided an example table to document the findings.
 Section 1.3.3 Hazard Potential Classification
    [cir] Clarified that the significant changes to the population at 
risk must be identified since the previous Part 12D Inspection.
 Section 1.4 Recommendations
    [cir] Provided an example table to summarize recommendations and 
the suggested schedule.
 Section 2.1 Location and Purpose
    [cir] Revised reference to Appendix C: Project Figures.
 Section 2.2 Description of Project Features
    [cir] Clarified that the project information must not be a copy and 
paste from the STID.
    [cir] Added ``tunnel lining drainage holes'' to the bulleted list 
for Water Conveyances.
 Section 3.3 Recommendations of Previous Independent 
Consultants
    [cir] Revised heading text.
    [cir] Clarified that the summary table must include recommendations 
from ``earlier'' Part 12D reports.
 Section 3.7 Previously Identified PFMs
    [cir] Clarified that the IC Team can provide recommendations to 
improve the PFMA and PFMs
 Section 4 Field Inspection Observations and Interpretation of 
Monitoring Data
    [cir] Revised the use of standard terms to describe the condition 
of project features allowing the IC Team to use consistent terminology 
provided the terms are identified and defined.
 Section 4.2.1 Field Inspection Observations
    [cir] Revised reference to Appendix E: Inspection Photographs.
 Section 4.2.2 Review and Evaluation of Instrumentation Data 
and Surveillance
    [cir] Revised reference to Appendix D: Instrumented Monitoring Data 
Plots.
 Section 5.5 Public Safety Plan
    [cir] Inserted the requirement that the Public Safety Plan must 
also document the licensee's response and implementation of any 
required remediation measures related to project-related public safety 
incidents.
 Appendix B FERC Letter Approving Part 12D Inspection Plan and 
IC Team
    [cir] Revised appendix title.
 Appendix C Summary of Independent Consultant's Recommendations

[[Page 20161]]

    [cir] Appendix deleted.
 Appendices D through H
    [cir] Redesignated as Appendices C through G due to the removal of 
Appendix C.
    [cir] Subsequent revisions listed below are for the redesignated 
appendix label.
 Appendix D Instrumented Monitoring Data Plots
    [cir] Revised appendix title and text from ``Instrumentation 
Monitoring'' to ``Instrumented Monitoring.''
    [cir] Revised content to be provided in the appendix from 
reproductions of entire Dam Safety Surveillance and Monitoring Reports 
(DSSMRs) to excerpts from and citations to previous DSSMRs relevant to 
the review.
 Appendix E Inspection Photographs
    [cir] Revised description of how to provide full resolution digital 
photographs.

Chapter 16, Appendix C--Outline for the Periodic Inspection Pre-
Inspection Preparation Report (PI-PIPR)

 Changes to ensure consistency in headings and text with the 
above list of changes in Chapter 16, Appendix B
 Addition of placeholder sections to the outline to ensure 
consistent numbering between the PIR and PI-PIPR. Placeholder sections 
are marked with the following text: ``This section is reserved as a 
placeholder so the numbering is consistent with the PIR. No content is 
required to be provided in this section of the PI-PIPR.''

Chapter 16, Appendix D--Outline for the Comprehensive Assessment Report 
(CAR)

 Section 1.2 Potential Failure Modes and Risk
    [cir] Section 1.2 is redesignated as Section 1.5 Potential Failure 
Modes Analysis, Risk Analysis, and Dam Safety Risk Classification.
    [cir] Revised Section 1.5 to provide separate subsections as listed 
below, describing the required content:
    [ssquf] Section 1.5.1 Potential Failure Modes Analysis
    [ssquf] Section 1.5.2 Level 2 Risk Analysis
    [ssquf] Section 1.5.3 Dam Safety Risk Classification
 Sections 1.3 through 1.5
    [cir] Redesignated as Sections 1.2 through 1.4 due to the 
redesignation of the above listed item.
 Section 1.6 Recommendations
    [cir] Provided an example table to summarize recommendations and 
the suggested schedule.
 Section 2.2 Description of Project Features
    [cir] Clarified that the project information must not be a copy and 
paste from the STID
    [cir] Added ``tunnel lining drainage holes'' to the bulleted list 
for Water Conveyances.
 Section 3.2.1 Design Considerations
    [cir] Revised final bullet to clarify that the current state of 
practice means ``at the time of the Comprehensive Assessment.''
 Section 3.5
    [cir] Revised heading text from ``Powerplant'' to ``Powerhouse''
 Section 4: Review and Evaluation of Previous Analysis
    [cir] Revised reference to Appendix J: Independent Calculations
 Section 4.4 Analyses of Project Features
    [cir] Redesignated subheadings from ``4.4.X'' to ``4.4.1'' for 
Project Feature 1, with a further example provided as ``4.4.2'' for 
Project Feature 2 and so forth.
 Section 5.3 Recommendations of Previous Independent 
Consultants
    [cir] Revised heading text.
    [cir] Clarified that the summary table must include recommendations 
from ``earlier'' Part 12D reports.
 Section 6 Field Inspection Observations and Interpretation of 
Monitoring Data
    [cir] Revised the use of standard terms to describe the condition 
of project features allowing the IC Team to use consistent terminology 
provided the terms are identified and defined.
 Section 6.2.1 Field Inspection Observations
    [cir] Revised reference to Appendix E: Inspection Photographs.
 Section 6.2.2 Review and Evaluation of Instrumentation Data 
and Surveillance
    [cir] Revised reference to Appendix D: Instrumented Monitoring Data 
Plots.
 Section 7.5 PFMA
    [cir] Provided two sets of instructions depending on whether the IC 
Team prepared the PFMA report.
 Section 7.6 Risk Analysis and Summary
    [cir] Revised instructions depending on whether the IC Team 
prepared the Risk Analysis report.
 Section 8.8 Supporting Technical Information Document and 
Digital Project Archive
    [cir] Added ``and Digital Project Archive'' to the heading text.
    [cir] Revised subheadings 8.8.5, 8.8.7, 8.8.8, and 8.8.9 to more 
closely match the STID headings provided in Chapter 15 of the 
Engineering Guidelines.
 Appendix B FERC Letter Approving Part 12D Inspection Plan and 
IC Team
    [cir] Revised appendix title.
 Appendix C Summary of Independent Consultant's Recommendations
    [cir] Appendix deleted.
 Appendices D through H
    [cir] Redesignated as Appendices C through J due to the removal of 
Appendix C.
    [cir] Subsequent revisions listed below are for the redesignated 
appendix label.
 Appendix D Instrumented Monitoring Data Plots
    [cir] Revised appendix title and text from ``Instrumentation 
Monitoring'' to ``Instrumented Monitoring''
    [cir] Revised content to be provided in the appendix from 
reproductions of entire Dam Safety Surveillance and Monitoring Reports 
(DSSMRs) to excerpts from and citations to previous DSSMRs relevant to 
the review.

Chapter 16, Appendix E--Outline for the Comprehensive Assessment Pre-
Inspection Preparation Report (CA-PIPR)

 Changes to ensure consistency in headings and text with the 
above list of changes in Chapter 16, Appendix D
 Addition of placeholder sections to the outline to ensure 
consistent numbering between the CAR and CA-PIPR. Placeholder sections 
are marked with the following text: ``This section is reserved as a 
placeholder so the numbering is consistent with the CAR. No content is 
required to be provided in this section of the CA-PIPR.''

    All information related to ``Chapter 16--Part 12D Program,'' 
including the draft chapter, all submitted comments, the final chapter, 
and the revised final chapter incorporating the above listed revisions, 
can be found on the FERC website (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary 
link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter 
the docket number, excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number 
field (i.e., AD20-21). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date 
range. The Commission also offers a free service called eSubscription 
that allows you to keep track of all formal issuances and submittals in 
specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time you spend 
researching proceedings by automatically providing you with electronic 
notification of these filings and direct links to the documents. Go to

[[Page 20162]]

the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov), select the FERC Online option 
from the left-hand column, and click on eSubscription. Users must be 
registered in order to use eSubscription.
    The revised version of Chapter 16 is also available on the 
Commission's Division of Dam Safety and Inspections website at: 
Engineering Guidelines for the Evaluation of Hydropower Projects [bond] 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (ferc.gov).
    For assistance with any of the Commission's online systems, please 
contact FERC Online Support at ferc.gov">[email protected]ferc.gov or toll free 
at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8258.

    Dated: March 29, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-07015 Filed 4-4-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P