4000

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 4000
• Author: U.S. Department of the Interior.
• Title: Report on Water For Energy in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
• USFW Year: 1974.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

III. FUTURE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED WATER SUPPLIES

The demand for energy production in the Upper Colorado River Basin is a
national demand; it is anticipated that 80 percent or more of the energy
produced in this Basin will be exported to other regions of the United
States. Consequently, extensive activities are underway to develop the
Upper Basin's relatively untapped fossil-type energy resources. To
appraise the magnitude, timing, and probability of over 30 large scale
energy developments, three categories have been designated: In-Pro~ress,
those now being designed or constructed; Planned, plants for whiCh leases,
water supplies, and other specific requirements are actively being sought;
and Projected, primarily expansion of plants in the prior two categories
or recognized potential for which no specific development is known but for
which a year 2000 demand has been delineated in past studies such as the
Southwest Energy Study or for oil and gas demands resulting from the current
energy crisis.

It is recognized that several studies and projections of electrical power
demand in the southwestern United States have been made that indicate the
potential electrical power demand by year 2000 could utilize much greater
production in the Upper Colorado River Basin. It is assumed, however,
that most of the additional production would be derived from nuclear plants
located close to the load centers outside the Upper Basin.

The energy developments, categorized by status are shown on Figure 2. In
New Mexico and Colorado a definite clustering effect occurs due to location
of energy fuels. In Colorado a pronounced concentration of coal-fired
electric generation occurs in the Yampa Valley whereas, oil shale operations
cluster in the lower White and Colorado between Glenwood Springs and Grand
Junction.

Translation of energy production into water needs is dependent on specific
site locations, processes used, cooling methods and other parameters.
However, to dimension the relative water for energy needs, the following
unit factors were assumed except where specific plans and water contracts
are already firm.

Coal fired electric generating plant - 15 af/yr/Mw at 85% plant factor

Oil Shale - 17,400 af/yr for 100,000 bbl/day plant
Coal gasification plants - 15,000 af/yr for a 250 M cu.ft/day plant

These factors include the estimated related municipal requirements to
support the development.

Table 11 lists the energy developments by type, i.e., fossil fire thermal
electric plants, oil shale plants and coal gasification plants, and includes
information on status, size, and projected water requirements. Plans for
additional plants may exist, but are so tenuous as to make the results of
their inclusion unreliable.

Table 12 lists the same information as presented in Table 11; however, the
energy developments are listed by states rather than by plant types.

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