FERC-521, Payments for Benefits from Headwater Improvements

The purpose of FERC-521 is to implement information collections pursuant to Section 10(f) of the Federal Power Act (FPA). Under Section 10(f) licensees of unlicensed non-Federal hydroelectric power projects that are directly benefited by a headwater project must pay an equitable portion of the annual costs of interest, maintenance, and depreciation of the headwater project. This payment is called the headwater benefit payment. The Commission requires basic project information including location and storage capacity to be filed by the owner of any headwater project constructed by the United States, a licensee, or a pre-1920 permittee that is upstream from a non-Federal hydroelectric project.

The latest form for FERC-521, Payments for Benefits from Headwater Improvements expires 2027-02-28 and can be found here.