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Executiue Summary <br />support the increase in electrical demand (recognizing that additional sources of thermoelectric <br />power may be secured from sources outside of northwestern Colorado). <br />The water demands associated with thermoelectric power generation were estimated based upon <br />a unit water demand of 0.48 gallons per kilowatt-hour (KWh), equivalent to the water demands <br />at the Craig Power Plant. Figure ES-4, Summary of Thermoelectric VUater Demands, provides a <br />summary of the thermoelectric water demands estimated to support the development of the <br />natural gas, coal, uranium, and oil shale industries for the three planning horizons and production <br />. <br />scenarlos. <br />The electric power demands, and therefore water demands, attributable to thermoelectric power <br />generation remain relatively stable under all production scenarios and planning horizons for <br />natural gas, coal, and uranium. However, the water demand associated with thermoelectric <br />power generation to serve a potential oil shale5 industry is signi~cant. For example, the potential <br />annual water demands estimated under the medium production scenario is 6,090 acre-feet per <br />year in the mid-term and 26,316 acre-feet per year for the long-term planning horizon. Under the <br />high production in the long-term, the water demand for thermoelectric generation to support oil <br />shale extraction may be in excess of 240,000 acre-feet annually6. <br />Summary of Water Demands <br />In summary, the greatest potential water demand among northwest Colorado energy resources is <br />for the production of shale oil. The thermoelectric power needed for shale oil extraction is the <br />largest source of potential water demand. Figure ES-5, Summary of Annual Total Water <br />Demands, shows the cumulative water demands for natural gas, coal, uranium, and oil shale for <br />direct, indirect, and thermoelectric power needs. <br />5 The oil shale scenarios assume electric heating for the in-situ process. Not all processes intend to use electric <br />power to heat and retort oil shale. Many processes intend to use the gas produced from the retorting of oil shale to <br />provide the energy to heat and retort oil shale. Therefore, this study represents a conservative approach for oil <br />shale thermoelectric demands. <br />6 For context, the average annual streamflow recorded on the Yampa River near Maybell, Colorado, during the 10- <br />year period 1998 through 2007 was approximately 953,000 acre-feet. During the same period, the average annual <br />streamflow of the Colorado River at the Colorado-Utah state line was approximately 3.5 million acre-feet (USGS <br />2008). <br />~+~ ES-9 <br />