Lock Hydro Friends Fund XVIII; Upper Hydroelectric LLC; FFP Project 95 LLC; Riverbank Hydro No. 25 LLC; Notice of Competing Preliminary Permit Applications Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing Applications

On September 1, 2011, Lock Hydro Friends Fund XVIII (Lock Hydro), Upper Hydroelectric LLC (Upper Hydro), Riverbank Hydro No. 25 LLC (Riverbank), and FFP Project 95 LLC (FFP 95) filed preliminary permit applications, pursuant to section 4(f) of the Federal Power Act, proposing to study the feasibility of a hydropower project at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (Corps) John C. Stennis Lock & Dam, located on the Tombigbee River in Lowndes County, Mississippi. 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.

Lock Hydro's Project No. 14261-000 would consist of: (1) One lock frame module, the frame module will be placed in a new conduit and contain five generating units with a total combined capacity of 10.0 megawatts (MW); (2) a new switchyard containing a transformer; and (3) a proposed 1.9-mile-long, 34.5 kilo-volt (kV) transmission line to an existing power line. The proposed project would have an average annual generation of 52.560 GWh, and operate run-of-river utilizing surplus water from the John C. Stennis Lock & Dam, as directed by the Corps.

Applicant Contact: Mr. Wayne F. Krouse, Hydro Green Energy, 5090 Richmond Avenue #390, Houston, TX 77056. (877) 556-6566.

Upper Hydro's Project No. 14268-000 would consist of: (1) a 250-foot-long, 100-foot-wide headrace channel; (2) a powerhouse containing two generating units with a total capacity of 15.0 MW; (3) a 275-foot-long, 100-foot-wide tailrace; (4) a 0.5-mile-long, 34.0 kV transmission line. The proposed project would have an average annual generation of 72.0 GWh, and operate run-of-river utilizing surplus water from the John C. Stennis Lock & Dam, as directed by the Corps.

Applicant Contact: Mr. Douglas Spaulding, Nelson Energy LLC, 8441 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 101, Golden Valley, MN 55426. (952) 544-8133.

FFP 95's Project No. 14277-000 would consist of: (1) An 160-foot-long, 100-foot-wide approach channel; (2) a powerhouse, located on the west side of the dam, containing one generating unit with a total capacity of 15.0 MW; (3) a 190-foot-long, 50-foot-wide tailrace; (4) a 4.16/46 KV substation; and (5) a 1.5-mile-long, 46 kV transmission line. The proposed project would have an average annual generation of 59.9 GWh, and operate run-of-river utilizing surplus water from the John C. Stennis Lock & Dam, as directed by the Corps.

Applicant Contact: Ms. Ramya Swaminathan, Free Flow Power Corp., 239 Causeway Street, Suite 300, Boston, MA 02114. (978) 283-2822.

Riverbank's Project No. 14281-000 would consist of: (1) A forebay; (2) an intake structure; (3) a powerhouse containing two generating units with a total capacity of 13.25 MW; (4) a tailrace structure; and (5) a 2.0-mile-long, 46 KV transmission line. The project would have an estimated average annual generation of 52.4 gigawatt-hours (GWh), and operate run-of-river utilizing surplus water from the John C. Stennis Lock & Dam, as directed by the Corps.

Applicant Contact: Mr. Vincent Lamarra, Riverbank Power USA, 975 South State Highway 89/91, Logan, UT 84321. (435) 752-2580.

FERC Contact: Michael Spencer, michael.spencer@ferc.gov, (202) 502-6093.

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. 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 the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp . Enter the docket number (P-14261-000, P-14268-000, 14277-000, or P-14281-000) in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.