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6.0 PROJECTIONS
Wyoming. Under all scenarios the 33 MW Osage Power Plant is assumed to be retired. Total generating
capacity for the High Scenario in Northeast Wyoming is 4,020 MW, and total water requirements would
be about 10,100 acre-feet annually. Using wet cooling technology for the new capacity would bring total
water requirements to slightly over 70,000 acre-feet annually.
The Platte River Basin High Scenario assumes the development of 1,000 MW of natural gas-fired
generation capacity plus 500 MW of coal-based generation capacity. The 500 MW of generation capacity
are associated with a coal conversion plant that will produce about nine million barrels of diesel fuel per
day. The natural gas-fired power plant will require about 10,000 acre-feet of water annually. The coal
conversion plant will require about 15,000 acre-feet per year.
In the Powder/Tongue River Basin the High Scenario assumes the development of 2,000 MW of
coal-fired generation capacity in the area of Lake DeSmet Reservoir. With the relatively cheap and
already developed water in Lake DeSmet, it is likely that a 2,000 MW plant will be built during the
planning period. This plant will be wet-cooled and will require about 34,000 acre-feet of water annually.
The High Scenario for the Wind/Bighorn River Basin assumes that there will be two 200 MW
coal-fired power generating plants built in the basin and that there will be two 500 MW natural gas-fired
power plants built in the basin during the planning period. The two coal-fired plants would require 8,000
acre-feet of water while the two natural gas-fired plants would require 10,000 acre-feet of water annually.
The Bear River Basin and the Snake/Salt River Basin are not projected to have any coal-fired or
natural gas fired electrical power generation development during the 30-year planning period.
Future electric power generation water use projections for the High Scenario are presented in
Table 6-9.
Mid Scenario
The moderate growth scenario is based upon the reasonably foreseeable possibility that cogeneration
facilities will not be developed at a rate sufficient to meet regional power needs over the next
30 years.
In the Green River Basin, the logical location for a moderate expansion of generating capacity is
the Jim Bridger Power Plant near Point of Rocks, east of Rock Springs. The facility was originally
designed for up to six 500 MW coal-fired generating units, although only four such units have been
installed. The existing units are among the most cost-efficient in the Rocky Mountain Power generating
system, and an expansion to six coal-fired units at Jim Bridger would be a logical step to increase regional
power production in a cost-effective manner. The moderate growth scenario for electric power
production in the basin projects a 50 percent increase in water requirements for the Jim Bridger Power
Plant over the next 30 years, with water requirements at the Naughton facility remaining constant at
current levels. Total water use for the moderate growth scenario is projected to grow from a current rate
of 47,800 acre-feet annually to approximately 65,000 acre-feet in 30 years.
The moderate growth scenario for electric power production in Northeast Wyoming River Basin
assumes that the permitting and financial uncertainties surrounding future expansion will be resolved over
the next 30 years and that all currently planned capacity additions will be online by then. In that case,
2,390 MW of additional generating capacity would be in place by the year 2030, bringing the total to
2,820 MW. If dry cooling technology is used, total water requirements would be about 6,900 acre-feet
annually. If wet cooling technology is used for new generating units, total water requirements would rise
to about 41,100 acre-feet annually.
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