Wyoming Framework Water Plan - Living Rivers Home Page

6.0 PROJECTIONS
6.4.1 Future Coal-fired and Natural Gas-fired Electric Power Production
Several companies have announced plans to build additional
generating capacity in the Northeast Wyoming River Basin, and those
plans are in various stages of implementation. The plans for plants involve
dry cooling towers and limited usage of groundwater for process purposes.
Water requirements for dry-cooled plants are less than for plants with wet
cooling towers which are in use at other locations, including the Dave
Johnston Power Plant in Converse County, Laramie River Station in Platte
County, Naughton Power Plant in Lincoln County, and Jim Bridger Power
Plant in Sweetwater County. While wet-cooled plants are more efficient and less costly to run than drycooled
plants, their water requirements are much larger. Given the fact that there is relatively little
surface water available in proximity to the coal resources of Northeast Wyoming, it appears likely that
dry cooling will remain the technology of choice in Northeast Wyoming for power production for the
foreseeable future.
In the Green River Basin, the expansion would be wet-cooled plants supplied by surface water
from the Green River.
The most agressive development in the Platte River Basin would include the addition of natural
gas-fired generation capacity and coal conversion. This additional capacity would be two wet-cooled
plants.
In the Powder/Tongue River Basin, additional generating capacity would be wet-cooled and
likely associated with Lake DeSmet Reservoir where substantial volumes of water are available.
The Wind/Bighorn River Basin is the remaining basin where coal or natural gas-fired generation
capacity might be built. The development of two coal-fired power plants and two natural gas-fired power
plants would be wet-cooled.
The Bear River Basin and the Snake/Salt River Basin will not likely see any development of coalfired
or natural gas-fired electrical power generation during the planning period.
Projections of future water needs for electric power generation are described below for high,
moderate, and low growth scenarios. The Northeast Wyoming projections are based upon the assumption
that dry cooling and limited groundwater pumping for process water will continue to be the predominant
technology employed. An added assumption for the High and Mid Scenarios is that the transmission
bottleneck out of Wyoming will be eliminated and thus encourage the construction of additional electrical
generating capacity.
High Scenario
In the Green River Basin, the High Scenario assumes that in addition to a 1,000 MW expansion
of the Jim Bridger Power Plant, a new 3,000 MW coal-fired generating facility will be built in the vicinity
of coal deposits near Creston Junction, using water piped from the Green River. This will require an
additional 68,700 acre-feet of cooling water.
The High Scenario for electric power production in Northeast Wyoming assumes that 2,390 MW
of planned capacity addition will take place, and that an additional 1,200 MW of capacity not yet
announced will be added to help meet the nation’s growing energy needs. This additional capacity may
require the adoption of new emissions control technology to meet air quality standards or the relaxation of
those standards to allow increased production, neither of which is assured. Nevertheless, the addition of
3,590 MW of generating capacity constitutes a reasonable High Scenario forecast for Northeast
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