Notice of Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protest

Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.

a. Type of Application: New License for a Major Water Power Project.

b. Project No.: P-2697-014.

c. Date Filed: February 10, 2003.

d. Applicant: Northern States Power Company (d/b/a Xcel Energy).

e. Name of Project: Cedar Falls Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: On the Red Cedar River, Towns of Tainter, Red Cedar, and Sherman, Dunn County, Wisconsin. This project would not use Federal lands. g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).

h. Applicant Contact: Mr. William Zawacki, Director, Hydro Plants, or Ms. Kristina Bourget, Esq., Northern States Power Company (d/b/a Xcel Energy), 1414 West Hamilton Avenue, P.O. Box 8, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54702-0008, 715-836-1136 or 715-839-1305, respectively.

i. FERC Contact: John Ramer, (202) 502-8969.

j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protest: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice.

All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.

The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all intervenors filing Docket No. P-2697-014 documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person whose name appears on the official service list for the project. Further, if an intervenor files comments or documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency.

Motions to intervene and protests and requests may be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu of paper. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings. See CFR 385.200 (a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site ( http://www.ferc.gov ) under the “e-Filing” link.

k. This application has been accepted, but is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

l. The Cedar Falls Project consists of the following existing facilities: (1) A 510-foot-long by about 50-foot-high dam, topped with two, 23-foot-wide by 5-foot-high, steel Tainter gates, with a total dam discharge capacity of 57,000 cfs; (2) a 1,752-acre reservoir (Tainter Lake) with a gross storage capacity of about 23,000-acre feet; (3) a 140-foot-long by 150-foot-wide by 42-foot-high powerhouse containing three 2,000-kilowatt (kW) horizontal generators with Francis turbines, with a total maximum hydraulic capacity of 2,500 cfs and a total installed generating capacity of 7.1 MW, producing a total of 33,678,351 kWh annually; (4) a substation containing a 69-kV bus from which power flows to four 69-kV transmission lines that serve the applicant's interconnected electrical system, or to a 10,500-kva transformer that serves a local distribution load (no transmission lines are part of this project); and (5) appurtenant facilities. The dam and existing project facilities are owned by Northern States Power Company (d/b/a Xcel Energy).

m. A copy of the application is available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the “eLibrary” link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll-free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item h. above.

You may also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

n. Anyone may submit a protest or a motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, 385.211, and 385.214. In determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission will consider all protests filed, but only those who file a motion to intervene in accordance with the Commission's Rules may become a party to the proceeding. Any protests or motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified deadline date for the particular application.

All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title “PROTEST” or “MOTION TO INTERVENE”; (2) set forth in the heading the name of the applicant and the project number of the application to which the filing responds; (3) furnish the name, address, and telephone number of the person protesting or intervening; and (4) otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. Agencies may obtain copies of the application directly from the applicant. A copy of any protest or motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the applicant specified in the particular application.