PROJ00509 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I San Miguel Canyon Proiect Investigation of a pumped storage hydroelectric facility in San Miguel Canyon as an optional feature of the San Miguel PIoject was recently added to the scope of the study. The potential San Miguel Canyon Project site was initially investigated by the USBR. The SMWCD holds conditional water rights that could potentially be used to implement the project. A pumped storage hydroelectric installation generally consists of two Ieservoirs located a short horizontal distance apart with a suitable elevation difference. Water is released from the upper reservoir to generate electricity during the work day and early evening when electrical power demand is at its peak. When electrical demand is low, at night and on weekends, water is pumped from the lower reservoir to refill the upper reservoir. Pumped-storage hydropower is financially attractive in many instances because the peak-demand energy is much more valuable than the off-peak energy used to refill the upper reservoir. The shorter the horizontal distance between reservoirs in relation to the elevation difference, the greater the potential financial return. A potential site for an upper reservoir is located about 2.8 miles northwest of Norwood, on the bluff along the south side of the San Miguel River. It is approximately 2,000 feet distant from the lower reservoir site on the river and about 700 feet above it. This relation of horizontal and vertical lengths falls within the criteria of sites which have been found to be financially attractive for the generation of pumped storage hydroelectric power. Figure V-I is a schematic illustration of the San Miguel Canyon Project, and the reservoir characteristics are presented in Table V-2. Projections of electrical power needs indicate that the southwestern states, especially California, will provide a market for peaking power after about 1993. Major electrical transmission lines pass close to the San Miguel Canyon site. These lines form part of a transmission network interconnected with other Rocky Mountain utilities and also interconnected in the Four Corners area with transmission lines that serve utilities in both California- Southern Nevada and Arizona-New Mexico. With advance coordination, provision could be made to include project power with other improvements to the transmission capacity of this intertie network anticipated during the 1990's. This would permit the power to be marketed anyplace in the Southwestern United States. V-5