Electrical Power for Valdez and the Copper River Basin-1981

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVESTne purpose of this section is to evaluate the various alternat',vesthat could be utilized to meet the needs of the study area. Althougheacn of tnese alternatives is discussed separately, it appears that thebest overall plan may combine one or more of the alternatives. Thesection "Comparison of Detailed Plans" discusses the possiblecombinations of alternatives on a comparable basis.DIESELDe s c rip t ion:Tnis alternative is effectively the without condition, the probablefuture if no Federal, State, or local action were taken to provideelectrical energy through alternative means. There is currently enoughinstalled capacity at Glennallen and Valdez, when combined with the soonto be finished Solomon Gulch hydroelectric, to meet the needs of theintertied system until the mid-1990's.Based upon the diesel scenario, between 1981 and 2000 CVEA will Deburning an estimated 70 to 75 million gallons; this is based uponexpecteo population and industrial increases associated with ALPETCO andthe expanded port facilities.Impact Assesslllent:From an environmental stanapoint the impacts of continued use ofdiesel for electrical generation are primarily associated with noise andair pollution. However, in comparison to other alternatives, such as thetransmission intertie, and hydropower, these are seen as relativelyminor. Social impacts associated with continuing energy cost escalationare already affecting business, industry, and the average household.Continued reliance on diesel generation will force the local economy todivert a growing proportion of its resources to electricity generation.Evaluation:Power costs associated with this alternative would be directly tied tothe escalating cost of diesel fuel. As shown in Table 1, Appendix B, thecost of fuel increased 136 percent between 1974 and 1979, with the costof energy increasing 170 percent over the same time period. Increasesduring 1980 enforce the probability that this trend will continue forsome time.Besides this economic deterrent, the fact that petroleum is a nonrenewableresource of limited quantities dictates that it should beutilized for higher priority uses SUCh as transportation. To continue touse diesel fuel for energy production when other alternatives are availaDleis unwise from an economic stanapoint not to mention that it iscontrary to State and National policies.28