Fact Sheet on Colorado River Storage Project Transmission System Controversy

Document: From United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, "Fact Sheet on Colorado River Storage Project Transmission System Controversy," May 8, 1961, page 33. The Bureau of Reclamation did not use the same basic criteria in a comparison and analysis of the two proposed systems. For example: The utilities were instructed that they must be able to deliver 600,000 kilowatts of power to Arizona preference customers but the Federal Government's yardstick system does not have sufficient capacity to deliver more than 450,000 kilowatts. Comment: The utilities were not "instructed" to provide any specific line capacity. They were told that if their offer was to be accepted, their lines would have to be of sufficient capacity to assure delivery of available power. The Bureau did estimate that loads in the southern division of the market area would be 600,000 kilowatts but also determined that storage project power to serve this size load would not be available under the marketing criteria for a long enough period of time to justify construction of a third Federal line to meet it. This fact does not affect the wheeling offers or what the utilities would build. Under their offer and because of technical problems of power flow--which forces Glen Canyon power to flow southward and the utilities' Four Corners steam plant power to flow northward in substitution--they must build sufficient capacity to take almost the entire output of Glen Canyon southward into Arizona. Consequently, the allegation is without meaning. 4. Ther will be wasteful duplication of existing or contemplated private utility system lines if the entire Federal system is constructed. Comment: It is ridiculous to infer that the utilities now have transmission facilities to move the power to be generated at the hydro plants of the Storage Project, which must be the inference in allegations of duplication of existing lines. To claim duplication of contemplated lines, which contemplation is based upon the Government accepting their proposal or upon facilities which they must build for their own use, not the Government's, is patently without foundation. Present capacity of the utility transmission systems is entirely inadequate for moving the power to be generated at the hydroplants of the Colorado River Storage Project. The utilities have announced various proposals and plans for constructing additional lines but these would be necessary in any event to take care of their own needs. Additional capacity would have to be constructed for meeting the needs of the Federal system. On the other hand, utilization of the Federal system and the capacity of the public utilities can be mutually enhanced by proper coordination, as is now the case in other areas where Federal Power transmission systems are in operation. 5. Use of the private utilities transmission system will assure preference or project customers of better electric service through use of a multipurpose transmission system connected to many generating sources, all planned to do a total job. 3Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 2,384,829 byte