| OCR Text |
Show Electric Power By I98O, the Region will need 8.3 million kilowatts of peaking capacity, more than twice the 1970 demand of 3.9 million kilowatts. It is anticipated that during this period, the principal sources of additional electric energy will be imports from the Upper Colorado Region which will supply about U.3 million kilowatts. Electric generating capacity to be developed within the Region during this period is estimated to be 0.8 million kilowatts from the Montezuma pumped storage plant to be located near Phoenix and 1.5 million kilowatts of nameplate capacity from a fossil-fueled thermal plant being constructed in southern Nevada. Electric power requirements are projected by the Federal Power Commission to increase by ^0-fold from 2.7 million kilowatts in 1965 to 108.5 million kilowatts by 2020. The development program to meet these demands consists of transmission facilities for imports, fossil-fuel thermal plants, nuclear-fuel thermal plants, and pumped-storage hydroplants. Further studies will be needed to determine where the power facilities should be located. Factors to be studied will include the costs of conveying cooling water to water-deficient areas versus the cost of transmitting energy longer distances; the hazards of thermal and nuclear pollution; conflicts with preservation of natural or scenic areas; and other environmental factors. Consideration will need to be given to the use of dry-type cooling in lieu of water cooling. The magnitude of increased electric power production needed will require close attention to design requirements for pollution control measures. Initiating the Program The implementation of the development program to fulfill the future needs of the Region requires immediate action to accelerate programs for water resources and related land development by over threefold. Most of the early action programs are continuations of those currently underway. Though the Region has had one of the fastest growth rates in the Nation, and is one of the most critical water deficient areas, water resource development has progressed more slowly than that of most other areas. This slowness of response to the needs can be attributed largely to the sheer complexity of the problems, the magnitude of developments necessary to solve them, and the legal problems which have retarded the Region's ability to fully utilize its share of Colorado River water. While the latter ha;s been partially resolved by authorized projects, the others such as funding, continue to harass the Region's efforts to meet its present needs or to implement programs to satisfy future needs. Consequently, the action programs have fallen far behind, resulting in the accumulation of a tremendous backlog of development needs. The timing of a program of water importation to the Region is most critical, because implementation of many other elements of the framework program is dependent on an adequate and timely water supply. 32 |
