Evening star., 1935-05-19
Power Commission
Reports to President
BY HARDEN COLFAX.

GO"CA ACCOo dAAA PAOOACAALo dlc NCly
much to the fore nowadays. Engineer
ing experts, both in and out of the
Government, are telling us that, owing
to slowed-up development during the
last few years. industry in the United
States, as well as private comfort in
the way of light and heat, faces a
possible shortage of electric power.
While the future of the T. V. A. Is
engaging the attention of Congress,
and the Wheeler -Rayburn bill for
eliminating what are called "unneces-
sary utility holding companies" is
working its way through the national
Legislature, the Federal Power Com
mission has made its preliminary re-
port to the President on the result Of
the first engineering study of the cleo
tric light and power industry ever
made on a national scale in the United
States.
This national power survey is not
an academic inquiry. 1t is a prac-
tical undertaking of enormous future
significance. not only to the Gov
ernment but to every branch of the
electrical industry and to the con-
Stunning public.
The results presented in the report
deal with our power resources and
the problem of Transforming them for
public use
The use of electricity in the United
States for domestic purposes. as well
as In certain branches of industry.
has increased at such a rate since
1880 that when our normal industrial
activity is resumed, it seems certain
that the demand for power will be at
least 100000 kilowatts in excess of
that available in 1929 This is the
equivalent of the capacity of some
so large generating stations.
X X
Since 1880 very little new generat-
ing capacity has been launched by
privately-owned utilities. AS result,
existing plants have capacity of
2,325,000 kilowatts less than the de-
mand that will most certainly exist
for power upon the resumption of pre-
4IlOuSOl dCUlNlIy.
ing the maintenance of normal re-
serve capacity" This shortage, more
over, is being rapidly increased by the
obsoleScence of plants which. under
normal conditions, would have been
replaced.
At the beginning of the present
year more than Sc per cent of the
total installed steam-electricity ca
/ pacity of the United States was at
least 10 years old. II per cent was
20 years old or older, and about / per
cent was at least 80 years old The
experts believe that, within the very
near future, inefficient and obsolete
plants with a capacity Of at least
100000 kilowatts should be
''scrapped" and replaced.
This shortage of available and po-
tential power is distributed all over
the United States. According to the
report, the only regions in which sub
stantial surpluses of capacity now
exist to meet normal demand are
Florida. part Of Michigan. a certain
area along the lower Mississippi,
North Dakota, Idaho, Utah, New
Mexico, and parts of Texas, Mime
sofa, Montana, Washington and Or
egon. Only one major private power
development and one major municipal
plant are under construction at pres
ent, while Federal Government plants
provided for or under construction
will meet these shortages only in GER
tain limited areas.
y \ X
Many Of the regions where 1t is now
seen that the greatest power markets
exist, and where the need will be most
acute when industry resumes its nor
NAL swing, have no projects under
construction which appear sufficient
to carry the loads that may be ex-
pected. Moreover, it takes time to
plan and construct large generating
plants, hydro or steam, and the report
asserts that the early construction of
new plants involving capital expendi-
ture of at least $500, 100000 Is imper-
ative.
The shortage Of generating capacity
most seriously affects the great in
dustrial districts of the East and
Middle West. This phase of the
problem, the report says, involves
real danger in case the United States
becomes involved in war with for
eign power. The experts recall the
situation during the World War,
when, in many districts, it became
necessary to withhold electric service
from domestic and commercial Gus