Central Valley Project, California-Oregon Transmission Project, Pacific Alternating Current Intertie, and Third-Party Transmission Service-Rate Order No. WAPA-185

Published date27 June 2019
Citation84 FR 30712
Record Number2019-13714
SectionNotices
CourtWestern Area Power Administration
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 124 (Thursday, June 27, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 124 (Thursday, June 27, 2019)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 30712-30714]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2019-13714]
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                DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
                Western Area Power Administration
                Central Valley Project, California-Oregon Transmission Project,
                Pacific Alternating Current Intertie, and Third-Party Transmission
                Service--Rate Order No. WAPA-185
                AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.
                ACTION: Notice of rate order extending Sierra Nevada Region's power,
                transmission, and ancillary services formula rates.
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                SUMMARY: The Under Secretary of Energy confirms, approves, and places
                into effect, on an interim basis, the extension of the existing Central
                Valley Project power, transmission, and ancillary service; California-
                Oregon Transmission Project transmission; Pacific Alternating Current
                Intertie transmission; and third-party transmission formula rates.
                Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) will submit them to the
                Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for confirmation and
                approval on a final basis. The existing formula rates are set to expire
                on September 30, 2019. This rate extension makes no changes to the
                existing formula rates and extends them through September 30, 2024.
                DATES: The formula rates will be placed into effect on an interim basis
                on October 1, 2019.
                [[Page 30713]]
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Sonja Anderson, Regional Manager,
                Sierra Nevada Region, Western Area Power Administration, 114 Parkshore
                Drive, Folsom, CA 95630-4710, (916) 353-4418, e-mail:
                [email protected]; or Ms. Autumn Wolfe, Rates Manager, Sierra Nevada
                Region, (916) 353-4686, e-mail: [email protected].
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By Delegation Order No. 00-037.00B,
                effective November 19, 2016, the Secretary of Energy delegated: (1) The
                authority to develop power and transmission rates to WAPA's
                Administrator; (2) the authority to confirm, approve, and place such
                rates into effect on an interim basis to the Deputy Secretary of
                Energy; and (3) the authority to confirm, approve, and place into
                effect on a final basis, or to remand or disapprove such rates, to
                FERC. In Delegation Order No. 00-002.00Q, effective November 1, 2018,
                the Secretary of Energy also delegated to the Under Secretary of Energy
                the authority to confirm, approve, and place into effect on an interim
                basis power and transmission rates for WAPA. By Redelegation Order 00-
                002.10D, effective June 4, 2019, the Under Secretary of Energy further
                delegated the authority to confirm, approve, and place such rates into
                effect on an interim basis to the Assistant Secretary for Electricity.
                This extension is issued in accordance with the Delegation Order and
                DOE's rate extension procedures at 10 CFR 903.23(a).\1\
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                 \1\ 84 FR 5347 (Feb. 21, 2019).
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                 On July 14, 2016, FERC approved Rate Order No. WAPA-173: WAPA's
                rates for the Central Valley Project power, transmission, and ancillary
                service; and transmission service for California-Oregon Transmission
                Project, Pacific Alternating Current Intertie, and Third-Party
                Transmission.\2\ FERC approved the rates for three years from October
                1, 2016, through September 30, 2019. Under the approved formula rates,
                WAPA recalculates the charges and revenue requirements each year based
                on updated financial and operational data. The existing formula rates
                provide sufficient revenue to repay all annual expenses, including
                interest expense, and repay capital investments within the allowable
                periods; this ensures repayment within the cost recovery criteria set
                forth in DOE Order RA 6120.2. Given the pending expiration of these
                rates, WAPA proposed to extend them under Rate Order No. 185.\3\ The
                rate extension makes no change to the existing formula rates and
                extends the rates through September 30, 2024.
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                 \2\ Order Confirming and Approving Rate Schedule on Final Basis,
                FERC Docket No. EF16-3-000, 156 FERC ] 62,039 (2016). FERC
                originally approved the rate on December 2, 2011. Order Confirming
                and Approving Rate Schedule on a Final Basis, FERC Docket No. EF11-
                9-000, 137 FERC ] 62,201 (2011).
                 \3\ 80 FR 51556 (Aug. 25, 2015).
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                 Following DOE's review of WAPA's proposal,\4\ I hereby confirm,
                approve, and place into effect Rate Order No. WAPA-185 on an interim
                basis. This extends, without adjustment, the existing rate schedules
                listed below, through September 30, 2024:
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                 \4\ 83 FR 63857 (Dec. 12, 2018).
                 CV-F13 (Base Resource and First Preference Power),
                 CPP-2 (Custom Product Power),
                 CV-T3 (Firm and Non-Firm Point-to-Point Transmission Service),
                 CV-NWT5 (Network Integration Transmission Service),
                 COTP-T3 (Firm and Non-Firm Point-to-Point Transmission
                Service),
                 PACI-T3 (Firm and Non-Firm Point-to-Point Transmission
                Service),
                 CV-TPT7 (Third-Party Transmission Service),
                 CV-UUP1 (Unreserved Use Penalties),
                 CV-RFS4 (Regulation and Frequency Response),
                 CV-SPR4 (Spinning Reserves),
                 CV-SUR4 (Supplemental Reserves),
                 CV-EID4 (Energy Imbalance Service), and
                 CV-GID1 (Generator Imbalance).
                WAPA will submit Rate Order No. WAPA-185 and the extended rate
                schedules to FERC for confirmation and approval on a final basis.
                 Dated: June 21, 2019.
                Bruce J. Walker,
                Assistant Secretary.
                DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
                UNDER SECRETARY
                 In the Matter of: Western Area Power Administration Extension
                for the Central Valley Project, California-Oregon Transmission
                Project, Pacific Alternating Current Intertie, and Third-Party
                Transmission Service Formula Rates.
                Rate Order No. WAPA-185
                ORDER CONFIRMING, APPROVING, AND PLACING THE FORMULA RATES FOR THE
                CENTRAL VALLEY PROJECT, CALIFORNIA-OREGON TRANSMISSION PROJECT, PACIFIC
                ALTERNATING CURRENT INTERTIE, AND THIRD-PARTY TRANSMISSION SERVICE
                FORMULA RATES INTO EFFECT ON AN INTERIM BASIS
                 This Rate Order extends formula rates. The extension is undertaken
                pursuant to section 302 of the Department of Energy (DOE) Organization
                Act (42 U.S.C. 7152), which transferred to, and vested in, the
                Secretary of Energy the power marketing functions of the Secretary of
                the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation under the Reclamation Act of
                1902 (ch. 1093, 32 Stat. 388), as amended and supplemented by
                subsequent laws, particularly section 9(c) of the Reclamation Project
                Act of 1939 (43 U.S.C. 485h(c)), and other acts that specifically apply
                to the project involved.
                 By Delegation Order No. 00-037.00B, effective November 19, 2016,
                the Secretary of Energy delegated: (1) the authority to develop power
                and transmission rates to the Administrator of the Western Area Power
                Administration (WAPA); (2) the authority to confirm, approve, and place
                into effect such rates on an interim basis to the Deputy Secretary of
                Energy; and (3) the authority to confirm, approve, and place into
                effect on a final basis, or to remand or disapprove such rates, to the
                Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). By Delegation Order No.
                00-002.00Q, effective November 1, 2018, the Secretary of Energy also
                delegated the authority to confirm, approve, and place such rates into
                effect on an interim basis to the Under Secretary of Energy. By
                Redelegation Order No. 00-002.10D, effective June 4, 2019, the Under
                Secretary of Energy further delegated the authority to confirm,
                approve, and place such rates into effect on an interim basis to the
                Assistant Secretary for Electricity. This Rate Order's extension is
                issued under the latter Delegation Order and DOE's rate extension
                procedures codified at 10 CFR 903.23(a).\1\
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                 \1\ 84 FR 5347 (Feb. 21, 2019).
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                BACKGROUND
                 On July 14, 2016, FERC confirmed, approved, and placed into effect
                Rate Order No. WAPA-173,\2\ which extended the rates listed below for
                three years from October 1, 2016, through September 30, 2019:
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                 \2\ Order Confirming and Approving Rate Schedule on Final Basis,
                FERC Docket No. EF16-3-000, 156 FERC ] 62,039 (2016). FERC
                originally approved the rate on December 2, 2011. Order Confirming
                and Approving Rate Schedule on a Final Basis, FERC Docket No. EF11-
                9-000, 137 FERC ] 62,201 (2011).
                 CV-F13 (Base Resource and First Preference Power),
                 CPP-2 (Custom Product Power),
                 CV-T3 (Firm and Non-Firm Point-to-Point Transmission Service),
                 CV-NWT5 (Network Integration Transmission Service),
                 COTP-T3 (Firm and Non-Firm Point-to-Point Transmission
                Service),
                [[Page 30714]]
                 PACI-T3 (Firm and Non-Firm Point-to-Point Transmission
                Service),
                 CV-TPT7 (Third-Party Transmission Service),
                 CV-UUP1 (Unreserved Use Penalties),
                 CV-RFS4 (Regulation and Frequency Response),
                 CV-SPR4 (Spinning Reserves),
                 CV-SUR4 (Supplemental Reserves),
                 CV-EID4 (Energy Imbalance Service), and
                 CV-GID1 (Generator Imbalance).
                These rates apply to power, transmission, and ancillary services for
                the Central Valley Project, and transmission service for the Pacific AC
                Intertie, California-Oregon Transmission Project, and third party
                transmission. On December 12, 2018, pursuant to 10 CFR 903.23(a), WAPA
                filed a notice in the Federal Register proposing to extend, without
                adjustment, the above rates as Rate Order No. WAPA-185.\3\ WAPA
                determined it was not necessary to hold public information or public
                comment forums on the proposed formula rate extension, but provided a
                30-day consultation and comment period. The consultation and comment
                period ended on January 11, 2019, and WAPA received no comments on the
                proposed formula rate extension.
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                 \3\ 83 FR 63857 (Dec. 12, 2018).
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                DISCUSSION
                 The power, transmission, and ancillary service formula rates,
                approved under Rate Order No. WAPA-173, expire on September 30, 2019.
                WAPA recalculates the charges under the existing formula rate
                methodologies at least annually, which provides adequate revenue to
                recover annual expenses, including interest expense, and repay capital
                investments within allowable time. This ensures repayment within the
                cost recovery criteria set forth in DOE Order RA 6120.2.
                 Rate Order No. WAPA-185 extends, without adjustment, the existing
                formula rates listed above, through September 30, 2024, thereby
                continuing to ensure project repayment within the cost recovery
                criteria.
                ORDER
                 In view of the above and under the authority delegated to me, I
                hereby confirm, approve, and place into effect, on an interim basis,
                Rate Order No. WAPA-185, which extends the existing power,
                transmission, and ancillary services formula rates: Rate Schedules CV-
                F13, CPP-2, CV-T3, CV-NWT5, COTP-T3, PACI-T3, CV-TPT7, CV-UUP1, CV-
                SPR4, CV-SUR4, CV-RFS4, CV-EID4, and CV-GID1, through September 30,
                2024. The rates will remain in effect on an interim basis until: (1)
                FERC confirms and approves this extension on a final basis; (2)
                subsequent rates are confirmed and approved; or (3) such rates are
                superseded.
                Dated: June 21, 2019.
                Bruce J. Walker,
                Assistant Secretary.
                [FR Doc. 2019-13714 Filed 6-26-19; 8:45 am]
                 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
                

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