Interior Department Makes Decision on Colorado River Storage Project Transmission System

Document: United States Department of the Interior news release, " Interior Department Makes Decision on Colorado River Storage Project Transmission System," February 20, 1962, page 6Pacific Power and Light Company Summary of Transmission Interconnection Arrangements Pacific Power and Light Company offered in its initial proposal of April 1960, which was rejected by the Department, to construct transmission lines into the Flaming Gorge Power Plant and deliver Colorado River Storage Project power to preference customers for a charge of one mill per kilowatt hour. The Company now operates a 200,000 kilowatt steam plant near Casper, Wyoming, and will increase that capacity to 350,000 kilowatts in 1964. It has been rapidly expanding its transmission system in north-central Wyoming in recent years and in 1960 contracted with the Bureau of Reclamation to fully interconnect its system with the Bureau's Missouri River Basin Western Division system in Wyoming. The Company is now extending its 230 kv system southward to Rock Springs and to Kemmerer where it will be interconnected in 1963 with the Utah Power and Light Company's steam plant, which will have a capacity of 500,000 kilowatts by 1973. As a result of the negotiations just completed with the Company, it has offered to build a 60-mile 230 kv line from Rock Springs to Flaming Gorge powerplant. In recognition of the mutual advantages of this interconnection the Bureau will provide the transformation facilities in the Flaming Gorge switchyard at a cost of $700,000. The Company stated by letter of January 31, 1962, that it desired to handle this interconnection arrangement contractually by adding Flaming Gorge as another point of interconnection under the existing 1960 MRB contract. This contractual arrangement will permit the delivery of CRSP Project power through the interchange process, without a wheeling charge, to each of the existing points of interconnection between the Company's system and the MRB Western Division system at Casper and Muddy Ridge in Wyoming and at the Yellowtail powerplant in Montana. In addition to this interconnection through the Company's system, the CRSP power system will be connected directly to the MRB system at Cheyenne, Wyoming by a 230 kv line from Craig, Colorado. The combination of these two high-voltage interconnections will greatly strengthen and increase the carrying capacity of the Bureau's extensive 115 kv system in Wyoming. This is far superior to the previously contemplated 115 kv tie between Craig, Colorado and Sinclair, Wyoming, that has been eliminated. A real advantage has been gained at nominal cost through this interconnection with the Company at Flaming Gorge because it assures the delivery of CRSP power at three additional points in north-central Wyoming without a wheeling charge and without expansion of the MRB system, or possible added cost to preference customers. 2772-62(3)Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 2,479,894 byte