Brief description of the project:
The Jeff L. Taylor Pine Flat Power Plant Project (Power Plant), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Project No. 2741, is in the City of Sanger, Fresno County, California, 30 miles east of the City of Fresno, on the north bank of the Kings River, two hundred feet downstream of the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Pine Flat Dam.

The Power Plant was completed in 1984 and consists of one development that, in total, includes: three penstock extensions, one powerhouse containing three turbine-generator units (i.e., Units 1, 2 and 3) each with a FERC-authorized installed capacity of 55 megawatts (MW), one powerhouse containing one turbine-generator unit with a FERC-authorized installed capacity of 6.3 MW, one switchyard, and one recreation area. The Power Plant’s total FERC-authorized installed capacity is 171.3 MW.

The existing Power Plant does not include any dams, impoundments, transmission lines, or open water conduits. Pine Flat Dam and Reservoir (non-Project) were constructed by the USACE in 1954 to provide local and regional flood protection. Project power is provided from the Power Plant’s Pine Flat Switchyard to the grid via the California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) existing Pine Flat Transmission Line, FERC Project No. 2876, which interconnects with Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s 230-kilovolt Balch #2-McCall Transmission Line.

The 11.87-acre FERC Project Boundary includes 4.94 acres of federal lands administered by the USACE, 4.55 acres of State of California lands submerged by the Kings River, and 2.38 acres of Fresno County lands. The Power Plant facilities are all at an elevation of approximately 670 ft.

The Kings River Conservation District (KRCD) owns the Jeff L. Taylor Pine Flat Power Plant and holds the existing FERC license. The current FERC license for the Power Plant expires on August 3, 2029. KRCD proposes to use FERC’s traditional licensing process and intends to file the final application to renew its FERC license for the continued operation and maintenance of the Power Plant no later than August 31, 2027.

Brief description of the project:
The Pine Flat Transmission Line Project (T-Line), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Project No. 2876 (T-Line), is an important component of the State Water Project (SWP). The transmission line was constructed to access power generated at the KRCD Jeff L. Taylor Powerhouse (licensed under Jeff L. Taylor-Pine Flat Hydroelectric Project, FERC No. 2741) that is used to offset electricity demands of operating the State Water Project.

The T-Line is located in Fresno County, California on the north bank of the Kings River downstream of Pine Flat Dam at KRCD’s Jeff L. Taylor Powerhouse.  The transmission line crosses the Kings River from the powerhouse to the south bank and continues south in a draw to the crest of a nearby ridge, and then proceeds southeast until it connects with PG&E’s 230-kV Balch #2-McCall transmission line. The entire line is approximately 0.8 mile in length.

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) owns and holds the existing FERC license for the Pine Flat Transmission Line Project. The current FERC license for the T-Line expires on August 31, 2029. DWR intends to file the final application to renew its FERC license for the continued operation and maintenance of the T-Line license no later than August 31, 2027, and will use FERC’s traditional licensing process (TLP) to relicense the Project.

PowerplantFERC@krcd.org

DWR-PineFlatTLine-Relicensing@water.ca.gov