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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 2, 2006 Since you asked Valley’s electricity is mostly coal-based Where is most of the Rogue Valley’s electricity generated, and what fuel is used in that generation. Is it mostly natural gas? — Randy M., Central Point Our electricity comes from a mix of sources, Randy, but natural gas amounts to just a tiny sliver of the pie. For the complete low-down on electricity, we asked Dave Kvamme, a spokesman for PacifiCorp, the regional power company that most of us think of as Pacific Power. Kvamme says PacifiCorp owns most of its own generating plants and provides 80 to 90 percent of the region’s power from its own resources. (The percentage varies depending on the demand for power.) In terms of the power generating capacity that PacifiCorp owns, about 72.5 percent comes from what the power people call "thermal" sources — that means burning something (such as coal or gas) to generate electricity. Advertisement Most of the thermal plants are fueled with coal, except for one plant in Hermiston that burns natural gas. The coal-burning plants are located mostly in Utah and Wyoming, close to the source of coal. There are also plants in Arizona, Colorado and Montana that send kilowatts to Southern Oregon. We hear a lot about alternative energy sources, but they provide relatively little power compared to coal. Hydro power (dams), for example, amounts to about 5.4 percent of Southern Oregon’s power mix. Wind power accounts for a mere .2 percent. Kvamme says the remaining 21.9 percent of our power comes from long-term supply contracts that are so long that the company thinks of them in terms of "owned" resources. All of our power comes here over the "grid" that connects the Western states, Canada and Mexico. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to Since you asked ">[email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement