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Show WATER FOR UTAH Therefore, if western producers manufacture such highly concentrated forms of phosphatic materials, by I960 they should be able to capture a consuming market on the order of between 700,000 and almost one million tons of contained P205. Of this, producers in southeastern Idaho and Montana might account for between 350,000 to 500,000 tons of contained PsO*;, or about one- half of the total potential markets. The remaining portion of these markets would be served from plants located elsewhere, and Utah could very well service a major portion thereof. Of the 500,000 tons of contained P205, it may be assumed that the seventeen Western States' consuming markets would require about 8% in ordinary superphosphate or magnesium phosphate for more or less local consumption, 19% in triple superphosphate and ammonium phosphate made by the so- called wet process involving sulphuric acid, and 39% in triple superphosphate and ammonium phosphate made from electric furnace, including acids made from elemental phosphates. In addition, however, 34% would be in elemental phosphorus for long distance shipments to plants which would convert it into ultimate P205 materials close to consuming markets. In the consideration of Utah's potential place in the manufacture of fertilizers, there are both decidedly favorable and unfavorable factors which will require careful balancing in the determination of plant establishment feasibility. On the favorable side are Utah's excellent potential phosphate resources. These could be mined at very low costs - on the basis of stripping operations - and perhaps at considerably lower costs than for those of adjacent areas. Its supplies of coke for electric and blast furnace production of elemental phosphorus might make possible lower delivered prices to plant site than elsewhere in the West. Its potash and nitrogen- base fertilizer materials are also cost- reducing by their general proximity. On the debit side are Utah's present insufficient and relatively high- cost power supplies. This is a most important factor to consider. Although blast furnace production of elemental phosphorus is possible, the electric furnace method is to be preferred for the resulting purity of product and its apparent greater adaptability for the processing of western phosphate rock and shale into high concentration materials. An economic- sized plant, producing 15,000 tons annually of elemental phosphorus in three electric furnaces of combined 25,000 kilowatt capacity, would consume almost 190,000,000 kilowatt- hours per year. Not only must this power be highly dependable and available for all hours of the day and year, inasmuch as the furnace operation is a continuous one, but its cost is critical. With delivered price of both coke and rock assumed at $ 6 per ton each, the total plant production costs of such a plant would vary with power costs as follows: with 2 mill per kilowatt- hour power, $ 150 per ton of phosphorus; with 3 mill per kilowatt- hour, $ 163 per ton of phosphorus; with 4 mill per killowatt- hour, $ 175 per ton of phosphorus; with 5 mill power, $ 187 per ton of phosphorus. The probable competitive price of production for western phosphorus may be in the neighborhood of $ 165 per ton. Therefore, for an electric furnace operation in Utah to be competitive, its power costs cannot be much under 4 mills per kilowatt- hour; considerably lower delivered prices for coke and rock will be necessary. This is quite probable. Not to be discounted is the favorable factors of close proximity to complementary sources of chemicals for the production of balanced fertilizer materials which places Utah in a potentially advantageous position for a major portion of markets thought to be accessible to western production. Given adequate sources of power at reasonable costs, Utah's electric furnace elemental phosphorus production might potentially total 125,000 tons per year, exclusive of production for chemical markets which might add between 5% and 10% of this total. The power requirement would, therefore, total a possible I,- 500,000,000 kilowatt- hours. As preliminary evidence of these potential developments, there is currently a good deal of activity in Utah and adjoining areas in Idaho and Wyoming in the field of fertilizer materials. Among plants being expanded, constructed or being made ready for production are those of the Simplot Fertilizer Company at Salt Lake City [ 75] |
