Notice of Availability of Guidance and Application for Hydroelectric Incentive Program

Published date12 May 2020
Citation85 FR 27994
Record Number2020-10149
SectionNotices
CourtEnergy Department
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 92 (Tuesday, May 12, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 92 (Tuesday, May 12, 2020)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 27994-27995]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2020-10149]
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                DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
                Notice of Availability of Guidance and Application for
                Hydroelectric Incentive Program
                AGENCY: Water Power Technologies Office, Office of Energy Efficiency
                and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy.
                ACTION: Notice of availability of guidance and open application period.
                -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) gives notice of updated
                guidance for the Energy Policy Act of 2005 program. The guidance
                describes the hydroelectric incentive payment requirements and explains
                the type of information that owners or authorized operators of
                qualified hydroelectric facilities must provide DOE when applying for
                hydroelectric incentive payments. This incentive is available for
                electric energy generated and sold for a specified 10-year period as
                authorized under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. In Congressional
                appropriations for Federal fiscal year 2020, DOE received funds to
                support this hydroelectric incentive program. At this time, DOE is only
                accepting applications from owners and authorized operators of
                qualified hydroelectric facilities for hydroelectricity generated and
                sold in calendar year 2019.
                DATES: DOE is currently accepting applications from May 12, 2020
                through July 13, 2020. Applications must be sent to
                [email protected] by midnight EDT, July 13, 2020, or they will
                not be considered timely filed for calendar year 2019 incentive
                payments.
                ADDRESSES: Interested parties are to submit applications electronically
                to [email protected]. DOE's May 2020 Guidance is available at:
                https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/water-power-funding-opportunities.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions may be addressed to Corey
                Vezina, U.S. Department of Energy, Golden Field Office, 15013 Denver
                West Parkway, Golden, CO 80401, (240) 562-1382 or by email at
                [email protected]. Further instruction can be found in the May
                2020 Guidance posted at https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/water-power-funding-opportunities. Electronic communications are recommended for
                correspondence and required for submission of application information.
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct
                2005; Pub. L. 109-58), Congress established a new program to support
                the expansion of hydropower energy development at existing dams and
                impoundments through an incentive payment procedure. Under Section 242
                of EPAct 2005, the Secretary of Energy is directed to provide incentive
                payments to the owner or authorized operator of qualified hydroelectric
                facilities for energy generated and sold by a qualified hydroelectric
                facility for a specified 10-year period (See 42 U.S.C. 15881). The 2020
                Further Consolidated Appropriations Act authorized funding for the
                Section 242 program for conventional hydropower under EPAct 2005. In FY
                2020, DOE allocated $7M for this purpose.
                 Recently DOE made minor updates to clarify its Guidance for the
                Energy Policy Act of 2005 Section 242. The May 2020 Guidance is
                available at: https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/water-power-funding-opportunities. Each application will be reviewed based on the Guidance.
                The Guidance changes were minor and involved edits to clarify the
                incentive period examples and to add a fourth incentive period example
                in Section V.
                 DOE notes that applicants that received incentive payments for
                prior calendar years must submit a full application addressing all
                eligibility requirements for hydroelectricity generated and sold in
                calendar year 2019. DOE will not consider previously submitted
                application materials. Applications that refer to previous application
                materials or statements in lieu of submitting current information will
                not be considered. As authorized under Section 242 of EPAct 2005, and
                as explained in the Guidance, DOE also notes that it will only accept
                applications from qualified hydroelectric facilities that began
                operations at an existing dam or conduit during the inclusive period
                beginning October 1, 2005, and ending on September 30, 2015. Therefore,
                although DOE is accepting applications for full calendar year 2019
                production, the qualified hydroelectric facility must have begun
                operations starting October 1, 2005, through September 30, 2015, for
                DOE to consider the application.
                 When submitting information to DOE for Section 242 program, it is
                recommended that applicants carefully read and review the completed
                content of the Guidance for this process. When reviewing applications,
                DOE may corroborate the information provided with information that DOE
                finds through FERC e-filings, contact with power off-taker, and other
                due diligence measure carried out by reviewing officials. DOE may
                require the applicant to conduct and submit an independent audit at its
                own expense, or DOE may
                [[Page 27995]]
                conduct an audit to verify the number of kilowatt-hours claimed to have
                been generated and sold by the qualified hydroelectric facility and for
                which an incentive payment has been requested or made.
                Signing Authority
                 This document of the Department of Energy was signed on May 5,
                2020, by David Solan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Power,
                Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, pursuant to delegated
                authority from the Secretary of Energy. That document with the original
                signature and date is maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes
                only, and in compliance with requirements of the Office of the Federal
                Register, the undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been
                authorized to sign and submit the document in electronic format for
                publication, as an official document of the Department of Energy. This
                administrative process in no way alters the legal effect of this
                document upon publication in the Federal Register.
                 Signed in Washington, DC on May 7, 2020.
                Treena V. Garrett,
                Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
                [FR Doc. 2020-10149 Filed 5-11-20; 8:45 am]
                BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
                

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