New look at small power plants: boom-town effects

Journal Article · Sun Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980 · Environment; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/00139157.1980.9929778· OSTI ID:5228167

Champion, D ^[1]; Ford, A

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1. Univ. of California, Berkeley

This final article, comparing the use of large and small coal-fired power plants for expanding electrical-generating capacity in the Rocky Mountain West, examines the effects of boom towns and the attitudes of local residents. Neither the pessimistic nor the optimistic view of boom towns was taken by the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory computer simulation analysis, which focuses on the impacts of population growth from construction workers. Towns have difficulty accommodating to growth rates above 10 percent, and vary in their willingness and their ability to respond to an influx of new workers. If small plants are distributed at different sites, the new workers and the economic benefits will disperse among several communities. The overall conclusion is that, while each proposed plant must be assessed individually to determine the optimum size for the site, small plants offer greater economic and environmental advantages. 12 references, 6 figures.

• OSTI ID: 5228167
• Journal Information: Environment; (United States), Journal Name: Environment; (United States) Vol. 22:5; ISSN ENVTA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290200 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Economics & Sociology
296001* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Electric Power Generation-- (-1989)
530100 -- Environmental-Social Aspects of Energy Technologies-- Social & Economic Studies-- (-1989)
BOOM TOWNS
ECONOMIC IMPACT
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
POPULATION DENSITY
POPULATION RELOCATION
POWER PLANTS
PUBLIC OPINION
SOCIAL IMPACT
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS