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<br /> <br />Electric Power <br /> <br />By 1980; the Region will need 8.3 million kilowatts of peaking capacity, <br />more than twice the 1970 demand of 3.9 million kilowatts. It is anticipated <br />that during this period, the principal sources of additional electric energy <br />will be imports from the Upper Colorado Region which will supply about <br />4.3 million kilowatts. Electric generating capacity to be developed within <br />the Region during this period is estimated to be 0.8 million kilowatts <br />from the Montezuma pumped storage plant to be located near Phoenix and <br />1.5 million kilowatts of nameplate capacity from a fossil-fueled thermal <br />plant being constructed in southern Nevada. <br /> <br />Electric power requirements are projected by the Federal Power Commission <br />to increase by 40-fold from 2.7 million kilowatts in 1965 to 108.5 million <br />kilowatts by 2020. The development program to meet these demands consists <br />of transmission facilities for imports, fossil-fuel thermal plants, nuclear- <br />fllel thermal plants, and pumped-storage hydroplants. <br /> <br />Further studies will be needed to determine where the power facilities <br />should be located. Factors to be studied will inclllde the costs of <br />conveying cooling water to water-deficient areas versus the cost of trans- <br />mitting energy longer distances; the hazards of thermal and nuclear <br />pollution; conflicts with preserv~tion of natural or scenic areas; and <br />other environmental factors. Consideration will need to be given to the <br />use of dry-type cooling in lieu oj' water cooling. The magnitude of <br />increased electric power production needed will require close attention to <br />design requirements for pollution control measures. <br /> <br />InItiating the Program <br /> <br />The implementation of the development program to fulfill the future <br />needs of the R~gion reqllires immediate action to accelerate programs for <br />water resources and related land cJ,evelopment by over threefold. Most <br />of the early action programs are continuations of those currently 'llnderway. <br />Thollgh the Region has had one of the fastest growth rates in the Nation, <br />and is one of the most critical water deficient areas, water resource <br />development has progressed more slowly than that of most other areas. This <br />slowness of response to the needs can be attributed largely to the sheer <br />complexity of the prOblems, the magnitude of developments necessary to <br />solve them, and the legal problems which have retarded the Region's ability <br />to flllly utilize its share of Colorado River water. While the Latter h~s <br />been partially resolved by authorized projects, the others such as fundfng, <br />continue to harass the Region's efforts to meet its present needs or to <br />implement programs to satisfy future needs. Consequently, the action <br />programs have fallen far behind, resulting in the accumulation of a <br />tremendous backlog of development needs. The timing of a program of water <br />importation to the Region is most critical, because implementation of <br />many other elements of the framework program is dependent on an adequate <br />and timely water supply. <br /> <br />32 <br />