Show tH t t Summit Shares hares i in Enterprise of Electricity SALT LAKE CITY CITY- Formation of the largest region al el electric power development program ever planned was announced an an- flounced here today by E E. M M. Naughton president of Utah Power Pow er light Company Members of the organization known as WEST a n contraction of Western Energy Supply Trans mission Associates will spend 10 billion In the next 20 years Mr Naughton said adding that the money will come from the investing investing invest ing public with no federal tax funds involved The program he explained cov cove covers ers all or part of nine states an anarea anarea area roughly equal to one fifth of the continental United States WEST Is presently composed of 10 owned investor utilities ing Utah Power Light operating operate ing lag in California Arizona Nevada Ne vada Utah Colorado Texas New Mexico Wyoming and Idaho Mr Naughton said the WEST program is an extension to a are regional re gional basis of the interconnect ling ng and power pooling which has been carrying on with neighboring utilities utilities' for over 60 50 I years It calls calla for long range long range Joint planning of some 36 38 million kilowatts of new generating capacity ca and an voltage extra transmission system interconnecting intercom netting member power ower suppliers The Joint approach he said will make possible use of latest technological advances and lowest cost fuel sources be they coal oil oU natural gas or the atom and will save several 1 billion d dollars in construction con and operating costs over the next 20 years Mr Naughton pointed ou out that because of its geographical loca loca- tion Utah p Power Light Co ac as actually Is the Eastern hub of tho the integration of power facilities in all of the Western States new high voltage facility to the Arizona line will tie the Northwest Northwest North North- west and Southwest power pools together later this year into a single kilowatt pool The WEST program Mr Naughton ton declared will wUl be be equivalent to 18 Grand Coulee dams and will willbe willbe be eight times Umes of Russia's Russia's Rus sias sia's largest development the Bratsk project In Siberia The Impact of t WEST on tho the economic development nt of ot the there region region re region re- re gion he asserted will be tre tree ire For example by 1071 1971 the program of utilities belonging to WEST expects to be Using the energy equivalent of over 10 million mil lion Uon additional tons of coal n a year will create over new Jobs resulting in an annual increased in creased payroll of 40 mUll million on and will generate additional local tax payments payment of 8 million Members of WEST besides are Arizona Public Service Co El EI P Paso sJ Electric Co Nevada Power Co Public Service Com Come Company pany of Colorado Public Service Company of New Mexico San Diego Gas Electric Co Sierra Pacific Power Co Southern California Call Cali fornia forni Edison Co and Tucson Gas Electric Co |