But we are in the process of cutting the place up. And it would be very, very expensive. The region could build several small gas-turbine plants that would generate as much electricity for less money and in far less time, he adds. And the need is now, so nuclear probably shouldn't be on the table. Rudi Bertschi, a Seattle energy consultant who chairs the executive board at Energy Northwest, agrees that nuclear power is not a solution.
Nuclear power remains tremendously expensive technology, with huge upfront costs.
Natural gas is the opposite, with relatively low upfront costs but higher fuel costs. Over the short run, at least, gas turbines remain the technology of choice along with renewed efforts at conservation driven by higher electricity rates, he says. Lesson to be learned Either way, the experts agree that the lesson to be learned from today's crisis is that the Northwest cannot afford to put all its energy eggs in one basket. For nearly a century, the region has depended on cheap, clean hydroelectric power from the Columbia and other rivers. This year's shortage is aggravated by environmental regulations, which require utilities to spill water over dams to accommodate migrating salmon water that otherwise would be used to generate precious megawatts.