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<br />CHAPTER 1 <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />Description of Plan Concept <br /> <br />The Dunham Point Unit Study is proposed as a result of the expanding <br />demand for electrical power and the ~rowing need to reduce our nation1s <br /> <br />dependence on oil. <br /> <br />Peaking power plants are needed to make up the di~ference in daytime <br /> <br />electrical demand which occurs between the amount of power that base load <br /> <br />plants produce and the quantity that power consumers t~ish to use at any <br /> <br />given time. Peaking power <br />combustion-fired or hydroelectric <br /> <br />generating facili ties are often <br /> <br />po.~r plants. capahle of quiCk start up <br /> <br />or shut down and able to fol.low the changes in electrical. demand much mot'e <br /> <br />efficiently than base load plants. A glossary of power terms is include<l <br /> <br />in attachment A. <br /> <br />Base load electric generating facilities are cOtIDUonly coal-fired or <br /> <br />nuclear power plants which operate most efficie'ltlv at a constant speed or <br /> <br />output. Thev are characterized by rather long start-up an<l shut-down <br /> <br />times, so tbey tend to produce excess po"er at ni.ght l,ut insufficient <br /> <br />power during tbe day. when there is a very high demand for electt'icity. <br /> <br />The proposed Dunham Point peaking power plant is known as a pumped <br /> <br />storage bvdroelectric facility because water is pumped ann stored in a <br /> <br />higber elevation reservoir (forel,av) during low electrical demand periods, <br /> <br />usuaHv overnight. During bigh power demand periods. the stored water; s <br /> <br />released down a penstock or tunnel through hydroelectric turbines and into <br /> <br />a lower elevation storage reservoir (afterbav). The electricity pronuced <br /> <br />by the turbines is used to meet the high peaking demands of consumers. <br /> <br />Although pumping the water consumes more energy than is produced by <br /> <br />the turbines. the process does prove feasible for several t'easons. <br /> <br />2 <br />