|
<br />~ower: Consumers pay fixed COSiS
<br />
<br />,
<br />
<br />{'onlinut'd (rom pagt' I
<br />. Utilities have bt't'n fort'ed 10 run some
<br />ur lhf' poW('f plants at a sm.1lHr:lclion of
<br />thl'ir (,"r~('Jti('S, although ("onsumers con-
<br />:mut' III pay millions of dQlIars In (iXi'd
<br />I"(~L" for th~c fadltil"S. Opcrallng and
<br />l11ainlcn:ln('c costs (eltrludinj::. fUf'I) for
<br />I'awnre pl.lot noar Bru!\h, Colo_. for in-
<br />sL:m('(', tot;iled $94 million in 1983. while
<br />SolO Juan 4 in northwest!'rn New Mexico
<br />h:ul $13 million in :;imilar cosu.
<br />'"In the Hocky Mountain area In 1984
<br />th<'rc are just phenomenal amounts of sur}
<br />plus generation (rom plants th,]t were
<br />stortl.'d .conceptually six; seven or eight
<br />yC.lni ago," said Bill Martin. 5,}'slcrns plan-
<br />ning manager for Public Service Co. or
<br />CoJor,do. "Today and for the n('xl few
<br />years there's gobs of generation."
<br />.
<br />EJ'IOERGY <.'QNSERVATION and the
<br />{'("onomic n"cesslon have 51ashed growth in
<br />dl'lnand for eledTidt). In recent years. But
<br />many utililies, already in the process of
<br />building plants, chose to finish those pa.....N
<br />fJcilitie~.
<br />The four-state region this year is able to
<br />~{'ncr.lIe 45 percent more elrctrlcity than
<br />the ~ummf'r's projt"Ctcd peak drmand. In-
<br />dustry standards 0.111 lor about a 20.per-
<br />('rnl reserve.
<br />Such excesses are expected to continue
<br />through 19!J2 If utility companies build
<br />pl.lnts Ihat arc planned.
<br />The problem is not limited !o the west-
<br />I."rn Umll'd States, Nationally, consc~\'a-
<br />tion and the recession decimated the
<br />growth in electric power peak demand,
<br />('lilting what had bt"en 7 ~rccnt annual
<br />~ro.....th to ahout 2 pere-cnt after the Arab
<br />011 rmbargo in 1974.
<br />Tbt~ reccssion, starting in the late 19705,
<br />......1" thl' bi~Kcst blow because industries _
<br />ullhlies' higgcst customers - sharply re-
<br />duccd productiun, and elf'C'trj{"al purch.1sr.!l.
<br />III the proe('ss.
<br />
<br />"YOU FINO the whole nallon's over.
<br />built." said S Kent Evans, a Utah Power &
<br />I.ighl Co. official who srrves on an indus-
<br />lry cOnllllittf."e reviewing the national pow-
<br />I'r systrm's reliability. "It'~ something
<br />that nubody rcally rould have predicted:'
<br />In tht. past four years in Colorado, east-
<br />{"rll Wyoming, New Mexico and AriZona,
<br />II units (,.Jflable of gent'ratinl; nt'arly 4.4
<br />tllllion watls ha....e bl.'l'n l'omplcl('d,
<br />This yrar. five more units with total
<br />l...pal'lty of 2 billion watts will bt>Rin oj/cr-
<br />alillll: Cr.1ig 3, Mount Elbert 2 and Haw-
<br />hid(' I In Colorado; Escalante 1 in New
<br />MeXICO. and the ftrst big 1,270-megawatl
<br />Arizon;1 nudrar unit at P.11o Vcrd('. Mounl
<br />Elbt'rl, J fCI!('ral h}'dropower planl, will bt-'
<br />us('d only for peak power. (A megawatt is
<br />I million watts.)
<br />^noth~'r dm~en units, including two more
<br />1';lln Verde nudear gcnl'ralors, are either
<br />und('r ('onslrul'tion or s(.'hcdulcd to be
<br />hUllt, aITordlnK to the WC'Stcrn System
<br />(:oordln.1tin~ Council.
<br />Soml' of those s<-h('dulrd plants may be
<br />(.;uwclcd or dcl.1yed, industry experts said,
<br />unlt.!,s Westl'rn energy and mining busi-
<br />1ll':;SI'S arc revived.
<br />Slill. m;lIlY planls were construch'd
<br />n'en when ufficials knew lhat growlh in
<br />. d~'('lri('>ll dl'lIiand had slackened, a("('ord-
<br />~ !OJ: 10 O:I\.ld Marcus, a consultant wilh lhl'
<br />. 1':nvironnwnl.11 Defense Fund in S.:m Fran.
<br />l.l~ru
<br />
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />,
<br />
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<br />~.
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<br />.
<br />:~'
<br />
<br />.~.-
<br />. .', '.z:. .
<br />!!-~IJ'71J
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />';
<br />.j!
<br />
<br />..
<br />
<br />c:
<br />c::
<br />"
<br />....
<br />C
<br />C.
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />~
<br />
<br />..', ~""-:'4::
<br />. ..--"
<br />New and proposed powerplanl.
<br />in Wllstern United St.le.'
<br />Mega~
<br />walls
<br />400.
<br />550
<br />20<>
<br />245
<br />35Q.
<br />, ~I
<br />ill 550.
<br />'11 350
<br />r 100
<br />550.
<br />479]1
<br />,I 160'
<br />, 400
<br />250
<br />485
<br />350
<br />350
<br />3.810
<br />
<br /><to
<br />
<br />
<br />,
<br />~.
<br />""
<br />. ~~,
<br />
<br />~, r
<br />~!
<br />,
<br />
<br />;
<br />
<br />".-4..0
<br />
<br />~;
<br />
<br />_1 Owner r
<br />Colorado-Ute Electric
<br />Basin Electric Po.wet
<br />City 01 Colorado Springs
<br />Arizona Public SerVice Co.
<br />I Salt River Project
<br />Public Service Co: of Colo.
<br />Basin Electric Power
<br />Arizona PubUv Service Co.
<br />Bureau 01 Reclamation
<br />. i BaBin Electric 'Po~r_
<br />Public ~ervice Co. of N.M.
<br />Bureau of Reclamation
<br />Colo:.Ute ElectriC Assoc.
<br />Platte River Power Authority
<br />Public Service 01 Colorado
<br />Clt)' 01 Colorado Springs
<br />Public Service of ColOl ado
<br />Arizona Public ServiCe
<br />,
<br />
<br />Date
<br />1980
<br />1980
<br />1980
<br />1980,
<br />'-980
<br />''''
<br />1981
<br />1981
<br />1982,
<br />1982
<br />1982
<br />1984
<br />1984
<br />1984
<br />1990
<br />1992
<br />1992
<br />1984-86
<br />
<br />Name
<br />Craig 1
<br />.
<br />Laramie Rvr
<br />Nixon 1
<br />Cholla 3 ..
<br />.,
<br />Coronado 2
<br />Pawnee 1
<br />LaramIe Rvr 2
<br />Cholla 4
<br />MI. Elbert 1
<br />Laramie Rvr 3
<br />San Juan 4
<br />Mt. Elberl 2
<br />Craig 3
<br />Rawhide 1
<br />Pawnee 2
<br />Nixon 2
<br />Unsited 1
<br />Palo Verde
<br />11-3)
<br />Escalante
<br />11-2)
<br />Springervil\e
<br />11.3)
<br />AEPCO '-2 i. 550 Arizona Electric Power 1990
<br />Coronado 3. 350 Sail River Project 1991
<br />Cholla 5 340 -.. AriZona Publlt; Ser...ice 1993
<br />. (.enefalong powl!1 plMlS f'1 CoIoIado. e8sll!1n WyOffilno. N~.... M~..co ,l<'ld
<br />Arl.lon;:l.
<br />Ioufce WesTern Syslems CoexCllr181lflQ Covnt~ and membef uhhlo(!!i
<br />
<br />. .
<br />
<br />.! 420
<br />
<br />,
<br />Plains EkK:tric
<br />
<br />19M-91
<br />
<br />1,050
<br />
<br />.Tucson Electric Powf!r
<br />
<br />1985-91
<br />
<br />'..
<br />
<br />\
<br />..- 'j;\
<br />
<br />1I0C"y ...0.....''''.. "fWl~IIA~"rcs
<br />
<br />!'
<br />
<br />.' ~I
<br />
<br />
<br />Electrical demand and capacity in Western United States
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />24000.
<br /> M
<br /> ~
<br /> 0 ::l ~ N
<br /> M ~ N
<br />18000. ~ m ,., 0
<br />0 ~ 0 N .
<br /> N ,., N
<br /> m
<br /> ~
<br /> N ~
<br /> m N - ~
<br /> ~ ~ N 0 ~
<br /> N N 0 ~-
<br /> ~ . ~ l
<br /> M -
<br />
<br />'Ga\ demand
<br />E.\eC\f\ jN 'n 0
<br />on <Q 1M II)
<br />N (\j a> tiN ~
<br />a;I - .." to ""
<br />M on '" N
<br />. N d
<br />N \l.deft\af\
<br />pee on
<br />A~-~-
<br />o _ m
<br />o m
<br />N
<br />~
<br />-
<br />
<br />I,-
<br />m N
<br />. ~
<br />~ -
<br />0- N____
<br />N
<br />
<br />N
<br />
<br />,.,
<br />o
<br />.
<br />~
<br />-
<br />
<br />~
<br />~
<br />
<br />Summer pt'lIk lImo...nl5 In m''9,l",,,1tS
<br />198J-19911'9urU$ afe PfOI(!(l'Qn~
<br />.. ColofaClo. Easlmn'....yOnllnq.
<br />New Me_rc.oand Afl10na
<br />." - E.elude~ power sold by lhe ""goon
<br />10 olhefilrCil5.
<br />
<br />-[--
<br />
<br />o
<br />
<br />SOURCE NOflh AmerICiln EIC<;lnc
<br />Rellab,111v Couneol
<br />
<br />_.1._.
<br />
<br />liE CITED Colorado-Ute EIf"C'lric ^:>.~o.
<br />natlon's ~OO.m('gawatt Craig 3 unit, bUilt
<br />lor $500 milliun, as an example of ,10 While utllity customcr! don't pay con- Servj('c's Marlin. "There is no other source some I'acific :'>l'orthwl'st and l\1idwl'!>1('rn
<br />lInnt.t.('ssary fadlity. s1ruction costs of power plants (colllpanio of money." utility ('Omp,lr\lC'S dId
<br />llle offit'i;tls dl'fcndl'd their dl'cisil!O 10 SI'\1 stock or bonds or borrow money for A 1978 !itudy of lhe 100 lar~est U.S. Now ('olllI'Il'tcd, SO!1lC of the plants are
<br />build frail: 3, s,lymg th('ir projc<:lion... imh- l'l,nSlrtl{'lion), they do pay the C'O!its of utllilies by the Washin~ton.bascd Environ- workint-: >It rt'du(,,'d C;lp.JClty or nol at all.
<br />l'atl.'d thai lhe utility would have to pur- flmning and mainlolining those plants. mental Action Foundation estimated thl'ft' while ownr(S (:ontmu.' lu look fur pun'has-
<br />('h.1Sl' po~'cr from other utilitiE.'S even after . h . . WNe 31 billion walts of excess Ren('r,lllng ('rs for P,lrtS of thl' plants ur their energy
<br />Ihl' po"l'r facility was built. . JU:';1 how mu{' ~ustomers are paYl~. l!l l'apaeity th.Jl cosl consumers $720 million. ...... NC'.lr WheatJand. YOyo.. for examph',
<br />Rut M,lrCU!l ~i~ t~ose project~ons ob\'I- ~lfhcul~~to de~e[~me ~~US;'f~a{'b Ulil!ty The study hasn't b~n updaled. .. one o( UlI' lhrt'e 5a.o-mC'gaW;ltl ~nils althe
<br />"u~I'y ""('rt' optlml~l,l(, ~Q,r ~h<;. tl!n~S .and,. ,~,ntJ},u. .1~.nC,13. ,~.t~~~on 15 ~ ~~('.nr~ " " _. ,~pil,C4~e~f.lp.,LQ.W::tp"Q,d'Pt~.~d~--,. ~$.I..t.pillill~ J-f1rOl{l1lul4'(c.r .s~_lU:ln,s.a~i.dIl'
<br />:~,:\_t. "T~!or~~Of('~~'!ifJU,~~IlI! 'l1~~'~' h~~_l" ,\ nOT~l~t.i:Dll\tEtyJh'l(.1)n.\tim~~ ':ti6' (;~~se._tij" complac.p~nnl-d pbw~ :,-lrom.Ok 1\'.to bi-c.~.. ~CJ\J.~OfJ~6 I.
<br />e r,11& 3 III I('rms of n('('d '~tll pOly (or all of Htat (surplus)."sa\d Publi<'.. p13nt!l IOswad of mothballing thl'fO.as . ,I., Sef' J O\H.R, pagh. 2
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