Article

Utah coal for southern California energy consumption

Authors:

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

University of California, Los Angeles

This study results from the need of Southern California to receive a large part of its electrical energy from coal-fired power plants located outside of the state. The dependence on coal arises from arrangements made by the electrical utilities of Southern California with officials of the Federal government and of states other than California. Of particular importance is the planned construction of one or two 3,000 megawatt mine-mouth coal-fired electric power plants in Utah from which the majority of electrical power produced would flow to Southern California. Establishment of such plants for this purpose raises a number of unresolved problems. This report addresses each of these issues which are reduced to four major classes arising from: (1) use of Upper Colorado River Basin surface water in the production of energy; (2) degradation of air quality in the area where the plants are sited; (3) choices for the mode of transportation of energy from the producer region to the consumer region; and (4) the socioeconomic impact on the producer region. A proposed Kaiparowits Project, in which a coal region in southern Utah would be used to provide energy for Southern California is described in detail.

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Article

Utah coal for Southern California power: The general issues

September 1976 · Energy

Orson L. Anderson

For the next decade, Southern California is committed to receiving a large part of its electrical energy from coal-fired powerplants located outside California. This dependence on coal arises from arrangements made by the electrical utilities of Southern California with officials of the Federal government and of states other than California. Of particular importance is the planned construction of ... [Show full abstract] two 3000-Mw mine-mouth coal-fired electrical powerplants in Utah, from which the majority of electrical power produced would flow to Southern California.There are many issues to be considered, but they can be reduced to four major classes: 1.(1) those arising from the use of Upper Colorado River Basin surface water in the production of energy,2.(2) those arising from the degradation of air quality in the area where the plants are sited,3.(3) those arising from the choices for the mode of transportation of the energy from the producer region to the consumer region, and4.(4) those arising from the socioeconomic impact on the producer region. The issues are interrelated in a complex way. If the power-plants are sited in Utah, then 1.(1) Utah's surface water must be used for power production,2.(2) the air quality of Utah's recreational areas (including outstanding National Parks and Monuments) will be degraded, and3.(3) energy will flow by electrical transmission lines to California. Many alternate combinations exist, and several are considered in this paper.After this paper was submitted and accepted for publication, Southern California Edison withdrew their application for the Kaiparowits Plant. The pressure arising from the issues discussed is temporarily removed. The long-term issues still remain with California.

Article

Assessment of water resources in Utah and Nevada for a proposed electric-power generating station. [...

January 1970

Gertsch

A multidiscipline coal and transportation study conducted for the California Department of Water Resources to determine the feasibility and practicality of siting a 1000-MW, coal-fired, electric-power generating station in the desert regions of southern California, southeastern Nevada, or east-central Utah by 1983 is presented. The scope of the report is limited to consideration of water ... [Show full abstract] resources in desert regions of Nevada and Utah and includes assessments of the availability and accessibility of enough water (15,000 acre-ft) to support the process and cooling requirements of a 1000-MW coal-fired generating station, and of the legal and administrative constraints on appropriation and use of water in both states. Part I deals with Nevada: the availability of surface water resources in the Colorado River Basin, the agricultural water rights market, groundwater administration, and selected groundwater basins that seem promising for industrial development. Part II deals with ground and surface water availability in Utah, primarily in Carbon and Emery Counties, and with the Colorado River salinity control program in eastern Utah which suggests possible collateral industrial development. Part III deals with the prospects for water transfer between California and the other two states.