Lake Martin Topics: Electricity Records

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	Name:	waterph -
	Subject:	Electricity Records
	Date:	8/16/2007 7:59:35 PM

Deepwater

The statement that the major sources for electricity during the time period that I noted in an earlier message posted on this site came a press release by Alabama Power. This article was seen in the Decatur Daily.

Second, Alabama Power at any electrical generation source other than hydro (nuclear, fossil fuel, etc.) is a slave to the temperatur of the water in the river used to condense steam. If the water source for any power plant using fossil fuel, etc., to generate steam increases in temperature, the efficiency of the power plant can be impacted. Alabama Power, chemical plants, etc., are required by permit to release water back to the river below a certain temperature. TVA recently idled one of its fossil fired plants in Tennessee recently because the water temperatur in the river had increased and they could not release water back to the river without exceeding their permit. Any production unit permitted by ADEM or any other regulatory agency has to meet certain permit specifications such as temperature, BOD, etc. and will idle capacity or shut down rather that exceed the permit. Deliberately exceeding a permit can result in severe penalities and in some instances, jail time for site management. This is a very serious issue and is not to be taken lightly. Alabama Power management understands this subject and will not knowingly exceed its permits. This is why, in my opinion, Smith Lake changes dramatically in the hot summer months.

If I had the choice of paying a higher electical rate and have Alabama Power discontinue using Smith Lake as a cooling source for its coal fired plant (ie, keep the lake level at 504 feet or higher), I would vote for the higher electrical rates so AlPCo can install cooling towers. I believe that a majority of the property owners on Smith Lake would also vote for this.