And DEQ found that Co-Generation, Inc. never met even the most basic of water quality requirements. Not only that, but this project makes no economic sense. It s been a loser from day one. This project is more than twice the cost to break even. The city claims they need this project because of the energy shortfalls in the West.
River flows are lowest in winter, when power demands are highest.
Furthermore, the 5000 cfs required by the Auger Falls project is rarely available at any time in the year. So new hydropower is a poor choice to meet short-term peak load. A better short-term tactic to relieve an energy shortfall is conservation. Simply replacing regular light bulbs with new compact fluorescent bulbs saves loads of energy, thus avoiding the need for new energy sources. The energy crisis we re facing in the Northwest will be solved shortly by the large number of new power plants that will come on-line by the end of 2001.