Cortez Pumped Storage Project; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing Applications

On December 1, 2011, INCA Engineers, Inc., Washington, filed an application for a preliminary permit, pursuant to section 4(f) of the Federal Power Act (FPA), proposing to study the feasibility of the Cortez Pumped Storage Project to be located on Plateau Creek, near the town of Dolores, Montezuma County, Colorado. The project affects Federal lands administered by the Forest Service (San Juan National Forest). The sole purpose of a preliminary permit, if issued, is to grant the permit holder priority to file a license application during the permit term. A preliminary permit does not authorize the permit holder to perform any land-disturbing activities or otherwise enter upon lands or waters owned by others without the owners' express permission.

The proposed project would consist of the following new facilities: (1) An upper reservoir, formed by a 130-foot-high by 6,500-foot-long, roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam, with a total storage capacity of 8,000 acre-feet and a water surface area of 275 acres at full pool elevation; (2) a lower reservoir, formed by a 270-foot-high by 800-foot-long dam, having a total storage capacity of 9,500 acre-feet and a water surface area of 200 acres at full pool elevation; (3) two 15-foot-diameter steel consisting of a surface penstock, a vertical shaft and an inclined tunnel; (4) two 27-foot-diameter tailrace tunnels that would be 850-feet-long; (5) an underground powerhouse containing two reversible pump-turbines totaling 500 megawatts (MW) (2 units × 250 MW units) of generating capacity; and (6) a 7-mile-long, 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line that would connect from the switchyard with an existing 230 kV interconnection east of the project area. The project's annual energy output would vary between 600 and 1,500 gigawatt hours.

Applicant Contact: Mr. Donald Thompson, INCA Engineers, Inc., 400, 112th Ave. NE., Suite 400, Bellevue, WA 98004; phone (425) 653-1000.

FERC Contact: Brian Csernak; phone: (202) 502-6144.

Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, competing applications (without notices of intent), or notices of intent to file competing applications: 60 days from the issuance of this notice. Competing applications and notices of intent must meet the requirements of 18 CFR 4.36. Comments, motions to intervene, notices of intent, and competing applications may be filed electronically via the Internet. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You must include your name and contact information at the end of your comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at 1-(866) 208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. Although the Commission strongly encourages electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, mail an original and seven copies to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.

More information about this project, including a copy of the application, can be viewed or printed on the “eLibrary” link of Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. Enter the docket number (P-14328-000) in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.