Laserfiche WebLink
<br />PRELIMINARY DRAFI' - SUBJECT TO CHANGE - 05/13/99 <br /> <br />For the Southern Ute Indian Tribe we have formulated an energy development scenario <br />that includes surface mining of coal and construction of a new 1000 megawatts (MW) <br />coal-fired power plant. As previously indicated, the La Plata Mine, which supplies coal to <br />the San Juan Power Plant, is just south of the Reservation border. It would be a logical <br />and efficient extension of that mine to begin mining inside the Reservation. Moreover, the <br />Reservation has access to ample Reservation coal reserves or regional gas reserves to <br />supply an additional 1 000 MW power plant on the Reservation. The United States Energy <br />Information Administration expects some 32 gigawatts (32,000 MW) of new coal-fired <br />generating capacity and almost ten times that amount of new gas-fired generating capacity <br />to come on-line between 1996 and 2020 [U.S.ErA, "Annual Energy Outlook," p 61]. <br />New coal-fired steam turbine generating units added or projected to be added during the <br />period from 1980 through 2005 have averaged about 500 MW in size [U.S. ErA, <br />"Changing Structure of the Electric Power Industry," p. 133]. Our scenario for the <br />Southern Ute Indian Reservation includes two such units, for a total capacity of 1000 <br />MW. Assuming 11,900 BTU per pound [Shomaker, p. 20], 9,253 BTU per KWH [U.S. <br />ErA, "Annual Energy Outlook," p. 63, and an 85% load, then a 1000 MW power plant <br />would consume 2,900,000 tons of coal per year. The most accessible coal lies in a band <br />between the La Plata Mine on the south up to a point west of the Picnic Flats area on the <br />north. <br /> <br />Both the mining and the power plant would use water from ALP. The mine would use <br />415 acre-feet per year for dust suppression [Gin], and the coal-fired power plant would <br />use an additional 12,000 {pRELIMINARY NUMBER} acre-feet per year for cooling [U.S. <br />Comptroller General, p. 60]. <br /> <br />The Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation contains less coal and natural gas than does the <br />Southern Ute Indian Reservation. Although in the future some coal could be mined to <br />supply off-reservation power plants, the more likely scenario would be to develop the <br />Reservation's gas to fuel an on-reservation power plant. A power plant could supplement <br />its supply of natural gas by drawing on other regional gas production in addition to that <br />produced on the Reservation. Our scenario for the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation <br />includes a 200 MW gas-fired combined cycle power plant. Such a plant would use <br />approximately 2,300 acre-feet per year for process water and cooling [RycWik]. <br /> <br />F. LIVESTOCK WATER USE SCENARIO <br /> <br />Both reservations contain large areas of rangeland, but the use ofthis rangeland is limited <br />by the scarcity of developed water sources. The livestock operators could make more <br />effective use of the rangeland if additional watering facilities were installed. Some solar <br />powered wells have been installed in the range area, but other areas do not have access to <br />productive aquifers and.would need surface water piped to water tanks. To be most cost- <br />effective, stockwater pipelines could be tied into pipelines that are installed for either <br />housing or energy development. In any event, the number of livestock is limited on both <br /> <br />5 <br />