Wind Could Become Major Utah Power Source
Jun 23 - Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
Within 20 years, the wind rustling across Utah's landscape may not be simply the lonely voice of nature. It may be a power source, turning turbines that could contribute 741 megawatts to the electrical grid, according to the U.S. Interior Department.
The report was released Tuesday by the Bureau of Land Management.
The Utah contribution pales in comparison with the 30,801 megawatts projected
for 11 Western states.
One megawatt is enough electricity to supply 240 to 300 households for a
year, according to the report.
A programmatic study differs from a site-specific examination because it
looks at the overall impacts. When a project is proposed for a particular area,
the larger study can be consulted.
"Our quality of life and our economic security are dependent on a stable
and affordable supply" of abundant energy, Rebecca Watson, assistant
secretary of the Interior Department for land and minerals management, said
during a telephone press conference.
Interest in wind energy is picking up, she said.
"In the last 4 1/2 years, we've issued 74 permits" to develop the
resource, she said.
She contrasted that with the record of the Bill Clinton presidency.
Over eight years, she said, "They issued only 13 wind permits."
A chart in the document shows non-BLM land in Utah hosts turbines generating
162 megawatts, while BLM holdings are responsible for 98 megawatts. In 20 years,
the totals are projected to jump to 485 megawatts and 256 megawatts,
respectively.
Utah BLM land doesn't have any actual production of wind power today, said
Ray Brady, BLM group manager for land and realty.
Apparently, the chart indicates places where production would be possible by
the end of the year.
"We have two authorized rights of way in Utah," he said.
"These are (for) site testing and monitoring. We have one pending
application in Utah."
Most of the new development would happen in California and Nevada, Watson
said. The impact statement, a massive document posted on the Internet at
windeis.anl.gov/documents/fpeis/index.cfm, examines the environmental, social
and economic impacts of developing wind energy.
The statement will allow "the expedited permitting of wind energy in
these 11 Western states," Watson said.
An appendix marks these Utah areas in dark blue, meaning they have "high
wind resource" potential: spots in the vicinity of Castle Valley, near
Moab; a broken arc from Trout Creek to a region west of Kanosh; scattered sites
around Milford; a stretch about 30 miles northwest of Mexican Hat; places north
and west of Price; east of Salina, and west and south of Hanksville; a few sites
in western Box Elder County, and a series of areas west of Ivans, Washington
County.
These scattered localities amount to 12,700 acres in Utah where wind
potential might be developed, she said. The calculations take into account
factors such as wilderness areas or wilderness study areas where projects could
not be built, as well as the availability of transmission lines.
"That's something you can't forget," Watson said. "There's a
very important need for transmission lines to deliver wind energy to the
customer."
Many sites with "good, strong winds" won't be useful because of the
lack of power lines, she said.
The BLM manages more than 20 million acres of land with high potential for
wind power generation, she said, "But because of the lack of transmission,
it drops down to 200,000 acres."
That's why California has such a large proportion of the potential for
development, she added. The transmission facilities are already there.
She said other areas of the country also have strong potential for wind
energy developments.
"The northeast part of the United States has very high wind
resources," Watson said.
Private companies have expressed interest in developing those resources. An
energy bill pending before Congress seeks authority to permit alternative energy
in other areas, including wind, wave and current power.
"Right now, there is no one federal agency that has authority to permit
renewable energy in the Outer Continental Shelf," she said.
The programmatic statement will allow the BLM to amend 52 land- use plans
covering areas throughout the West. With the agency, the assistant secretary
said, "Nothing happens on public land unless the land-use plan permits
it."
She said there are pros and cons about the development.
"There are wildlife impacts," such as avoiding harm to bird
migration routes. "You have impacts from the construction activities that
can raise dust and get into the water, you have the visual impacts from the
turbines," she said.
On the plus side, she added, "Of course, this is a renewable resource.
It's a clean resource and it's domestic."
Agency officials will have to look at the question of whether a proposed
turbine is in an appropriate place, and will need to use the best management
practices to reduce, eliminate or minimize impacts, she said.
Improved technology is reducing the number of turbines required to generate a
given amount of power, Watson said.
"Wind power is growing rapidly," she added. "The Wind Energy
Association is hoping to grow it to be about 6 percent of the nation's total
energy supply by about 2020."
That is about three times the present proportion.
E-mail: bau@desnews.com