Navajo Dam does not supply electricity to Dulce

Hey. First post here.

I'm a life-long resident of the Farmington, NM area and have traveled extensively in the Dulce area. I'm also an expert on the electric generation at Navajo Dam. There are only two hydro generators at Navajo Dam. All MW output from those generators is used by and owned by FEUS. There are no transmisson lines from Navajo Dam to Dulce. Dulce's power is supplied by Northern Rio Arriba Electric Cooperative. There are no ties between the FEUS system and Northern Rio Arriba Electric Cooperative. I have personally patroled every mile of electrical line leaving Navajo Dam. I can assure you that there is absolutely NO electrical power supplied to Dulce for any bases, secret or otherwise. BTW, the hydro units at Navajo were not even installed until the early 90's.

[edit on 24-4-2008 by RKWWWW]

reply to post by RKWWWW


hi there,

thanks for posting,

when you say "Dulce's power is supplied by Northern Rio Arriba Electric Cooperative " do you mean the town of Dulce or the general area ??

thanks

snoopyuk

[edit on 24-4-2008 by snoopyuk]

Generation at Navajo Dam?

Navajo Dam generation: www.usbr.gov...

Shows that Navajo Dam is a reclamation project with no generation facilities installed.
www.usbr.gov...


Perhaps you're looking at transformers and have patrolled incoming lines that feed the dam on a customer level.


Just about any generation facility in the US is going to have ties to the grid somewhere along the line.

If they're in a position to generate more power than load connected, it's profitable to sell it to the grid.

If there's anything hydro generation operators - and companies - hate it's water that got over the dam without generating power.

Something I'm sure you're aware of since you're an expert on the Navajo Dam generators . . . or lack thereof....

Originally posted by snoopyuk
reply to post by RKWWWW

 

hi there,

thanks for posting,

when you say "Dulce's power is supplied by Northern Rio Arriba Electric Cooperative " do you mean the town of Dulce or the general area ??

thanks




snoopyuk

[edit on 24-4-2008 by snoopyuk]

Both the town proper and the general area. You can google NORA and many of the co-op sites describe or show a map of the service area.

[edit on 24-4-2008 by RKWWWW]

Originally posted by Desert Dawg
Generation at Navajo Dam?

Navajo Dam generation: www.usbr.gov...

Shows that Navajo Dam is a reclamation project with no generation facilities installed.
www.usbr.gov...


Perhaps you're looking at transformers and have patrolled incoming lines that feed the dam on a customer level.


Just about any generation facility in the US is going to have ties to the grid somewhere along the line.

If they're in a position to generate more power than load connected, it's profitable to sell it to the grid.

If there's anything hydro generation operators - and companies - hate it's water that got over the dam without generating power.

Something I'm sure you're aware of since you're an expert on the Navajo Dam generators . . . or lack thereof....

Navajo Dam was completed in 1963. It was constructed in a manner that would allow the dam to be retrofitted with the penstocks necessary for the installation of hydro-gen units. This retrofit option was offered solely to the Navajo tribe. The option was limited to 25 years. The Navajo Tribe was prevented from exercizing that option because they never conducted a proper envioromental study. Their time ran out. After 25 years any entity could apply for the option, and if they sucessfully recieved the permits, they could place hydro units at the dam. As you mentioned, electric companies hate to see water falling and not being harvested for electrical power. FEUS watched that for 25 years and then quitely applied for the option when the 25 years was up. This happened in in the late 80's. The units were commisioned in early 1990.
www.usbr.gov...
www.fmtn.org...

Because the Navajo Dam generating units are part of the FEUS system they are technically tied with the grid, but there is no connection between FEUS and NORA. Yes, they are both connected to the overall western states grid, but it is physically impossible for FEUS to wheel power directly East to NORA.

There are no distribution lines connected to Navajo dam (or as you put it "customer level" lines). It's a single 115 KV transmission line that connects directly to the FEUS 115 Kv system "backbone". It's what is called a radial line. One, single high voltage line out, heading due west, away from Dulce and into a ring bus located within the FEUS system.

I personally witnessed the construction of the Navajo Dam hydro-units and the construction of the switchyard at Navajo Dam. I know every electrical line in the FEUS system, from 115Kv down to 13.8 Kv. The only lines east of Navajo Dam are low voltage, single phase lines providing service to the oil industry for cathodic protection of tanks and natural gas lines. These are located on the very edge of Rio Arriba County. Everything East of there is serviced by Jemez Electric (NORA is yet further east).

From my perspective, if there is any facilities in or around Dulce that are acquiring electricy in a clandistine manner, they certainly are not getting that power from Navajo Dam as is widely reported.




















[edit on 25-4-2008 by RKWWWW]

Thanks for the clarification.

Interesting that USBR site doesn't show or mention the generators even today . . . at least at the sites I looked at.

Surprising too that the Navajos let a money making deal slip away.