Notice2026-04662

Banister Hydro, Inc.; Notice of Application Ready for Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms and Conditions, and Prescriptions

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Published
March 10, 2026

Issuing agencies

Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 46 (Tuesday, March 10, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 10, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11543-11544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04662]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 9028-012]


Banister Hydro, Inc.; Notice of Application Ready for 
Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms 
and Conditions, and Prescriptions

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 9028-012.
    c. Date filed: July 26, 2024.
    d. Applicant: Banister Hydro, Inc. (Banister Hydro).
    e. Name of Project: Halifax Hydroelectric Project (Halifax Project 
or project).
    f. Location: On the Banister River, near the Town of Halifax in 
Halifax County, Virginia.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Sherri Loon, Coordinator of Operations--USA, 
Banister Hydro, Inc c/o KEI (USA) Power Management Inc., 423 Brunswick 
Ave., Gardiner, ME 04345; (207) 203-3026; <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#186b707d6a6a71367477777658736a6d7f7d6a367b7775"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d4a7bcb1a6a6bdfab8bbbbba94bfa6a1b3b1a6fab7bbb9">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> or 
Lewis Loon, General Manager, Operations and Maintenance--USA, Banister 
Hydro, Inc. c/o KEI (USA) Power Management Inc., 423 Brunswick Ave., 
Gardiner, ME 04345; (207) 203-3027; <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e48881938d97ca888b8b8aa48f9691838196ca878b89"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="49252c3e203a672526262709223b3c2e2c3b672a2624">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.
    i. FERC Contact: Chris Millard at (202) 502-8256, or 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d8bbb0aab1abacb7a8b0bdaaf6b5b1b4b4b9aabc98bebdaabbf6bfb7ae"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8deee5ffe4fef9e2fde5e8ffa3e0e4e1e1ecffe9cdebe8ffeea3eae2fb">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.
    j. Deadline for filing comments, recommendations, terms and 
conditions, and fishway prescriptions: on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern 
Time on May 4, 2026; reply comments are due on or before 5:00 p.m. 
Eastern Time June 18, 2026.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions 
using the Commission's eFiling system at <a href="https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx">https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx</a>. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 10,000 
characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at 
<a href="https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx">https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx</a>. For assistance, please 
contact FERC Online Support at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#02444750414d6c6e6b6c67517772726d707642646770612c656d74"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bafcffe8f9f5d4d6d3d4dfe9cfcacad5c8cefadcdfc8d994ddd5cc">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>, (866) 208-
3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic 
filing, you may submit a paper copy. Submissions sent via the U.S. 
Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be 
addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. 
All filings must clearly identify the project name and docket number on 
the first page: Halifax Hydroelectric Project (P-9028-012).
    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all 
intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of 
that document on each person 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.
    k. This application has been accepted and is ready for 
environmental analysis at this time.
    l. The Halifax Hydroelectric Project consists of the following 
existing facilities: (1) a 682-foot-long and 36-foot-high dam, with a 
301-foot-long concrete spillway (consisting of a 24-foot-long fixed 
weir, twelve 3-foot-wide piers, eleven 20-foot-wide gated bays, and a 
21-foot-long fixed weir), a 73-foot-8-inch-long integral powerhouse and 
intake structure, and a 307-foot-8-inch-long non-overflow structure 
(consisting of a 57-foot-6-inch-long concrete gravity wall, 203-foot-2-
inch-long sheet pile cells with earthfill, and a 47-foot-long earthfill 
section); (2) an approximately 374-acre impoundment with a gross 
storage capacity of 3,510 acre-feet at a normal water surface elevation 
of 351.3 feet mean sea level (MSL); \1\ (3) two 455-kilowatt (kW) 
turbine-generator units and a 875-kW turbine-generator unit for a total 
installed capacity of 1,785 kW; (4) a 486-foot-long, 4.16-kilovolt (kV) 
generator lead connecting to a 4.16/13.2-kV transformer, and a 26-foot-
long, 13.2-kV transmission line connecting to the local distribution 
system; and (5) appurtenant facilities.
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    \1\ In a revised Exhibit A filed May 22, 2025, Banister Hydro 
states that elevation data expressed as MSL are equal to that of the 
National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 at the Halifax Project.
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    The Halifax Project operates in a run-of-river mode with a 
continuous minimum flow of 5 cubic feet per second (cfs), or inflow, 
whichever is less. There is minimal to no available usable storage 
behind the dam and if river flow is less than 135 cfs, all water is 
spilled over the dam. The project is typically operated remotely in 
automatic control mode. Banister Hydro is not proposing any new project 
facilities or changes to the operation of the project.
    From 2019 to 2023, average annual generation at the Halifax Project 
was 2,403 megawatt-hours.
    m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission's 
website at (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</a>), using the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter 
the docket number, excluding the last three digits in the docket number 
field, to access the document (P-9028). For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support (see item j above).
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,'' ``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``TERMS AND 
CONDITIONS,'' or ``PRESCRIPTIONS;'' (2) set forth in the heading the 
name of the applicant and the project number of the application to 
which the filing responds; and (3) otherwise comply with the 
requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All comments, 
recommendations, terms and conditions or prescriptions must set forth 
their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the requirements of 
18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may obtain copies of the application directly 
from the applicant. Each filing must be accompanied by proof of service 
on all persons listed on the service list prepared by the Commission in 
this proceeding in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
    For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as 
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, contact the Office 
of Public Participation at (202) 502-6595, or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b8f7e8e8f8deddcadb96dfd7ce"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="551a050515333027367b323a23">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.
    You may also register online at <a href="https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx">https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx</a> to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    n. The license applicant must file the following on or before 5:00 
p.m. Eastern Time May 4, 2026: (1) a copy of the water quality 
certification; (2) a copy of the request for certification, including 
proof of the date on which the certifying

[[Page 11544]]

agency received the request; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality 
certification.
    o. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 6, 2026.

(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)

    Dated: March 5, 2026.
Carlos D. Clay,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-04662 Filed 3-9-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on March 10, 2026.

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