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Show and the logical market for future water power that may be developed in the watershed is the region consisting of the States of New Hampshire, Ver- mont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. A fairly high degree of coordination of electric facilities exists within this area and nearly all electric energy produced in the area is consumed within it. Maine, because of its law10 generally preventing the export of electric energy, is isolated from the electrical systems of the remainder of New England. This need not be irrevocable if the State of Maine can see that such interconnec- tion would mean a greater ability to secure low-cost power to build its own economy rather than as export to assist in the development of other States. At the end of 1949 the electric utility systems in the five-State area indicated above (New Eng- land excepting Maine) had a total installed gen- erating capacity of approximately 3.5 million kilowatts, of which about 667,000 kilowatts, or 19 percent, was hydroelectric. The total 1949 genera- tion of these systems amounted to about 12.7 billion kilowatt-hours, 17 percent of which was produced by hydroelectric plants. Estimates of future loads in the area indicate that new generating capacity, in addition to that existing, of more than 3.5 million kilowatts will be required by 1970 in order to meet the forecast load of these systems and to permit the retirement of old and obsolete plants. At the end of 1949 also, the nonutility plants in the area had installations totaling about 1 million kilowatts, of which some 15 percent was hydroelectric. However, no esti- mates of the future requirements for additional nonutility capacity are available. With undeveloped water power possibilities esti- mated at approximately 950,000 kilowatts for the Connecticut River Basin and approximately 1.6 million kilowatts for the New England States, ex- cept Maine, it is evident that much of the new capacity expected to be required by the utility sys- tems in the area could be provided by additional hydroelectric plants in the region, if the necessary detailed studies show all of this potential power to be economically feasible. However, even though the undeveloped water power of Maine, estimated at about 1.6 million kilowatts exclusive of Passa- maquoddy tidal power, were used in this area, there would still be need for new fuel-electric plants in the region. The estimated ultimate installations at potential 10 See Revised Statutes of Maine, 1944, ch. 46, § 1. water power sites in the area are based generally on operation at low plant factors, amounting to an average of some 35 percent in normal flow years for the total undeveloped water power in New Eng- land. The use of the energy from all of these po- tential projects in the estimated 1970 load would, therefore, require substantially less than the ulti- mate installed capacities mentioned above, which means that an independent hydro system could pro- vide a substantial part but not all of the additional power for future loads in New England. These estimates of undeveloped water power in the Connecticut River Basin are based upon a pos- sible increase in conservation storage from a present 500,000 acre-feet to as much as 2 million acre-feet. Coordinated New England and New York hydro- electric power may lower the wholesale power supply costs in this area. Power distributed at wholesale for about 8 mills would be a competitive incentive to manage all power operation on a more efficient basis and at lower cost to the consumer. As already noted, the potential hydro power of New England will depend for its economic justi- fication in large part upon its use for capacity purposes in conjunction with steam-electric or other base-load hydroelectric power. As with most exist- ing hydroelectric power in the region, such coordi- nation of the potential power with steam will permit use of hydroelectric power to supply the peak of the load. It is particularly well adapted for this service because of the high capacity installations needed to establish its economic feasibility. The generation of electricity by water power for peak- load use effects economies in the operation of power systems and thereby tends to lower the over-all costs of producing power in the region. Conclusions Full development and use of the water power re- sources of the basin would serve best and result in the highest economies of hydroelectric facilities if designed and utilized on the basis of coordina- tion with fuel-electric generation in the region, or base-load hydroelectric power outside the basin, and generally for capacity purposes. Substantial in- creases in conservation storage must necessarily accompany this development. Economies of sys- tem operation in the region would result, and would be increased if the water power resources of Maine were developed and coordinated with the power, both hydroelectric and steam, in the other New England States. 503 |
