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Show CEA Report Electricity Supply ( J N 1968, the Colorado River Basin Act mandated the A priorities of Glen Canyon Dam. Power generation was listed as the last priority and only as incidental to the other objectives of the dam. 9 Nevertheless, Glen Canyon Dam does provide over forty billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year at low cost to 174 preferred customers. Day to day releases of water through the power plant are made at times of peak electricity use in order to maximize revenue, while wildlife and recreational needs are subordinated. 9' 28 • The sediments trapped behind Glen Canyon Dam will fill Powell reservoir. Sediment will eventually clog the power plant's water intake structures, located 245 feet below the crest of the dam. Depending on sedimentation rates, this could occur in 100 to 400 years. 2 • The Glen Canyon Dam hydroelectric plant could continue to operate and produce power for 10- 15 years after decommissioning of the dam. This would allow significant time to find alternate sources of power. • Currently Glen Canyon Dam generates 4,500- 5,500 gigawatt hours per year, which is about 3% of the power currently generated in the four- state area ( Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico). 17 • Loss of this power source could increase rates for preferred customers who currently receive this heavily subsidized power. 20 Figure 11 Glen Canyon Dam in 1984 ( Bud Rusho, BOR). All of the customers who receive power from Glen Canyon Dam receive power from other sources as well. 17 The Navajo Generating Station, a coal- fired power plant near Page, Arizona, uses water from Powell reservoir for cooling. The generating station could continue to operate indefinitely by obtaining water directly from the river. The Navajo Generating Station produces almost twice as much power as Glen Canyon Dam. 18 Loss of peaking power provided by Glen Canyon Dam could be replaced with a gas or oil- fired power plant. This type of plant is more expensive to run than a hydropower plant. 19 Power conservation, development of new power technologies such as fuel cells, and alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, and co- generation, may make the power generated by Glen Canyon Dam unnecessary. page 14 |
