National Hydroelectric Power Resources Study Volume X November 1981 An Assessment of Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Prepared by: Dames and Moore 7101 Wisconsin Avenue Washington, D.C. 20014 • Under Contract to: The U.S. Army Engineer Institute for Water Resources Casey Building Fort Belvoir, Virginia 22060 Contract Number DACW -31-80 -C -0090 National An Assessment of Hydroelectric Volume X Hydroelectric Power November 1981 Resources Study Pumped Storage ..1;n • • • • Klaranglaffl Efaini IWR 82 - H - 1 0 The findings in this report are not to be construed as an official Department'of the Army position unless so designated by other authorized documents. The contents of this report are not to be used for advertising, publication, or promotional purposes. Citation of trade names does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use of such commercial products. 41, SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE (When Data Entered) _ READ INSTRUCTIONS REPORT DOCUM ENTATION PAGE BEFORE COMPLETING FORM I. REPORT NUMBER 2. GOVT ACCESSION NO. 3. RECIPIENT'S CATALOG NUMBER NHS Volume X 4. TITLE (and Subtitle) 5. TYPE OF REPORT & PERIOD COVERED National Hydroelectric Power Resources Study An Assessment of Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Final Report 6. PERFORMING ORG. REPORT NUMBER IWR-82-H-10 7. AUTHOR(.) 6. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER(e) Dames and Moore DACW-31-80-C-0090 9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS 10. PROGRAM ELEMENT. PROJECT, TASK Dames and Moore AREA & WORK UNIT NUMBERS 7101 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20014 11. CONTROLLING OFFICE NAME AND ADDRESS 12. REPORT DATE WRSC/Institute for Water Resources November 1981 Casey Building 13. NUMBER OF PAGES Fort Belvoir, VA 22060 520 14. MONITORING AGENCY NAME & ADDRESS(if different from Controlling Office) 15. SECURITY CLASS. (of this report) Unclassified ' 15e. DECLASSIFICATION/DOWNGRADING SCHEDULE 111. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT (of tide Report) Approved for public release: Distribution unlimited. 17. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT (of the obstract entered In Block 20, if different from Report) Approved for public release: Distribution unlimited. 19. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 19. KEY WORDS (Continue on reverse side if ary and identify by block number) Hydroelectric Power Hydroelectric Pumped Storage . " Energy Peak-load Generating Technologies 20.. ABSTRACT (Caatious am reverse ad& if necaesany ford identify by block number) "An Assessment of Hydroelectric Pumped Storage" is part of a larger, comprehen- sive study undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess the potential contribution of hydroelectric power resources to the Nation's energy supply. The pumped storage assessment consists of three major areas: (1) An up-to-date inventory of the various pumped storage projects (operational and planned) in the United States; (2) A study of the technological alternatives to pumped storage including new peak-load generating technologies and the "zero kilowatt" technologies of load management and conservation (a major focus of FORM lin DD EDITION OF / NOV 155 IS OBSOLETE JAN 73 a UNCLASSIFIED SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE (When Data Entered) SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE(IThen Data &Mond) this section is an analysis of the feasibility of each of the alternatives and a comparative cost assessment with pumped storage); and, (3) a regional analysis of the future need for pumped storage (or its alternatives) based on a range of possible regional growth rates, the overall cost competitiveness of each peaking alternative, and the cost of installing the additional base load capacity to support each of these alternatives. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE(Whon Data Entered) AN ASSESSMENT OF HYDROELECTRIC PUMPED STORAGE Prepared for DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS INSTITUTE FOR WATER RESOURCES November 1981 7101 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was prepared by Dames & Moore with the assistance of several consultants. Mr. James J. Stout, independent consultant of Arlington, Virginia, and formerly with the FPC and FERC, provided valuable guidance and assistance on the preparation of Chapter 1. The Energy Research Group of Cambridge, Massachusetts, contributed major portions of Chapters 3 and 4 and were the overall consultants for defining and evaluating alternatives to pumped storage. Special thanks are given to the staff of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' National Hydropower Study for their review, comment, and counsel, provided over the course of this project. 1 CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ' 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1-1 2.0 HISTORY OF HYDROELECTRIC PUMPED STORAGE 2-1 2.1 INTRODUCTION 2-1 2.1.1 Definition of Hydroelectric Pumped Storage 2-1 2.1.2 Objectives of Hydroelectric Pumped Storage 2-4 2.2 HISTORY OF PUMPED STORAGE 2-6 2.3 CASE STUDIES AND PROJECT BRIEFS 2-23 2.3.1 Case Study--Taum Sauk Pumped Storage Project 2-23 2.3.2 Case Study--Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project 2-29 2.3.3 Case Study--Ludington Pumped Storage Project 2-36 2.3.4 Case Study--Helms Pumped Storage Project 2-42 2.3.5 Case Study—Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Project 2-51 2.3.6 Case Study--Breakabeen/Prattsville Pumped Storage Projects 2-58 2.4 SUMMARY--MAJOR FACTORS IN PUMPED STORAGE DEVELOPMENT 2-69 2.4.1 Technological Advances 2-73 2.4.2 System Requirements 2-75 2.4.3 Operational History 2-77 2.4.4 Environmental Factors 2-79 2.4.5 Future Directions of Pumped Storage 2-80 REFERENCES 2-83 GLOSSARY OF TERMS 2-86 3.0 ALTERNATIVES TO HYDROELECTRIC PUMPED STORAGE 3-1 3.1 INTRODUCTION 3-1 3.2 SUPPLY ALTERNATIVES 3-1 3.2.1 Introduction 3-1 3.2.2 Supply Alternatives Methodology 3-2 3.24 Assessment of Category A Supply Alternatives 3-8 • 3.2.4 Assessment of Category B Supply Alternatives 3-19 3.2.5 Assessment of Category C Supply Alternatives 3-31 11 CONTENTS (cont'd) Page 3.3 DEMAND ALTERNATIVES 3-34 3.3.1 Thermal Storage (Demand-side Technologies). 3-34 3.3.2 Load Management 3-36 3.3.3 Conservation 3-46 ' REFERENCES 3-59 4.0 FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF PUMPED STORAGE 4-1 4.1 COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE ALTERNATIVES - 4-1 4.1.1 Category A--Storage Technologies " 4-1 4.1.2 Category A--Other Peak-Load Generation Technologies 4-2 4.1.3 Category B--Supply Technologies 4-4 4.1.4 Summary Tables 4-7 4.2 COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF PUMPED STORAGE AND ALTERNATIVES 4-27 4.2.1 Natural Resources 4-27 4.2.2 Physical Constraints 4-29 4.2.3 Economic Considerations . 4-31 4.2.4 Environmental Issues 4-34 4.2.5 Institutional/Regulatory Issues 4-35 4.3 FACTORS AFFECTING FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF PUMPED STORAGE 4-38 4.3.1 Economic • • . 4-38 4.3.2 Physical 4-40 4.3.3 Environment 4-46 REFERENCES 5.0 FUTURE NEEDS FOR PUMPED STORAGE OR ITS ALTERNATIVES 5-1 5.1 INTRODUCTION 5-1 5.2 REGIONAL ELECTRICITY DEMAND 5-6 5.2.1 Determinants of Demand 5-6 5.2.2 Analysis of Past Demand 5-7 5.2.3 Demand Forecasts 5-11 CONTENTS (cont'd) Page 5.3 REGIONAL FORECASTS OF PUMPED STORAGE OR ALTERNATIVE PEAKING CAPACITY 5-16 5.3.1 Overview of Results 5-16 5.3.2 Detailed Analysis of Results 5-22 5.4 METHODOLOGY 5-61 5.4.1 Description of Stacking Dispatch 5-61 5.4.2 Analytical Procedure ' 5-63 ,I- 5.5 FINANCIAL AND CONSUMER COST IMPACTS 5-68 5.5.1 Causes and Impacts 5-68 5.5.2 New Coal Construction vs. Utilization of Existing Oil Capacity for Pumped Storage Energy Supply 5-68 5.5.3 Pumped Storage in an Existing System with Excess Coal Base Generating Capacity 5-72 EXHIBITS 5-78 APPENDIX A - Inventory of Pumped Storage Facilities in the United States APPENDIX B - Additional Information—Pumped Storage Alternatives APPENDIX C - A Regional Generation (Stacking) Dispatch Model ) iv LIST OF TABLES Page Number , 2-1 Pumped Storage Projects in the United States in Operation as of November 1,1980 2-16 2-2 Pumped Storage Projects in the United States Licensed and/or Under Construction, November 1,1980 2-21 2-3 Chronology of the Ludington Pumped Storage Project 2-39 2-4 Chronology of the Helms Project 2-50 2-5 Chronology of the Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Project 2-53 , 2-6 Blenheim-Gilboa Plant Usage 2-56 2-7 Chronology of Breakabeen/Prattsville Project 2-68 2-8 Factors Impeding Pumped Storage Development 2-72 2-9 Operating Cost Experience of Hydro Pumped Storage Plants 2-78 3-1 Initial Categorization of Candidate Alternative Supply Technologies 3-4 3-2 Economic and Near-Term Availability Ranking for Thermal Energy Storage Systems 3-10 3 - 3 Estimated Potential Availability of Biomass Fuels 3 - 32 3 - 4 Summary Characterization of Category C Alterna- tive Supply Technologies 3-33 3-5 Large-Scale Utility Load Management Programs 3-41 3-6 Load Management Programs—Cost Summary 3-42 3-7 Effect of Energy Conservation Measures 3-48 4-1 Summary Assessment of Utility Thermal Storage 4-8 4-2 Summary Assessment of Compressed Air Storage 4-9 4-3 Summary Assessment of Advanced Storage Batteries 4-10 4-4 Summary Assessment of Combustion Turbines 4-11 4-5 Summary Assessment of First-Generation Fuel Cells 4-12 V LIST OF TABLES (cont'd) Number Page 4-6 Summary Assessment of Hydroelectric Power 4-13 4-7 Summary Assessment of Solar Photovoltaic 4-14 4-8 Summary Assessment of Oil Plant Conversion 4-15 4-9 Summary Assessment of Combined-Cycle 4-16 4-10 Summary Assessment of Coal Gasification/ . Combined-Cycle 4-17 4-11 Summary Assessment of Fluidized Bed Combustion (Atmospheric) 4-18 4-12 Summary Assessment of Cogeneration 4-19 4-13 Summary Assessment of Solar Thermal Power 4-20 4-14 Summary Assessment of Wind