Partners' Program

In a spacious ballroom of Seattle's Olympic Hotel last week gathered the Pacific Northwest's electric-power men to take up a vast regional problem. Even without any large new industrial expansion, the Northwest by 1970 will need a minimum of 6,450,000 kw. of new generating capacity, 55% more than at present, and far more than will be supplied by such new federal dams as Hungry Horse, McNary and Chief Joseph. To help supply this staggering increase, Montana Power Co. President John E. Corette unfolded a dramatic plan inspired by Ike Eisenhower. The President had suggested a partnership plan for building big multi-purpose dams, with local groups picking up the tab for generating equipment and the dams themselves, and the Government shouldering the cost of flood control, navigation, etc. This is exactly what Corette's company and five others-plan to do. They have formed a corporation to go partners with the Government on big multi-purpose dams on the Columbia River and its tributaries, the first time that private utilities have considered building dams of such magnitude.

Public-power advocates did not jump to their feet to cheer the utilities' plan. But for the Northwest, where power is more potent politics than patronage, the criticism was encouragingly muted. Public Powerite Glen Smothers, manager of Washington's ambitious Grant County P.U.D. (public utility district), gave full support to the utilities' plan: "Their program is a good one."

Actually, the P.U.D.s had already drawn up some plans for similar partnership power projects. At Rocky Reach on the Columbia, Washington's Chelan County P.U.D. hopes to build a nine-unit $234,340,000 dam that will produce 600,000 kw. of power. The Grant County P.U.D. has already asked Congress to authorize an even bigger project: an estimated $400 million dam at the Columbia's Priest Rapids that will produce 1,200,000 kw.

There were still some problems to overcome, however, before work could start on the utility companies' dams. No sites have been picked. Moreover, public-power enthusiasts are determined that the utilities get none, unless their plans fit in with a program for full development of the Columbia River Basin. Utility men assured them that their plan would, and hoped that it would mean a new era of good feeling in the Northwest.

* The others: Idaho Power Co., Pacific Power & Light, Washington Water Power, Mountain States Power & Portland General Electric.

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