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In the Soviet Union—
' Why not in Canada?

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By BERT WHYTE
Tribune Staff Correspondent

The Soviet Union stands second
among the countries of the world in
potential water power development:.
Canada ranks fourth or fifth. But Can-
adian consumption per capita is four
times that of the average for the
world —a factor that illustrates the
country’s rapid economic development
since the Second World War. Yet it
must be noted that the Canadian-based
industrial complexes which consume
much of this power are owned or con-
trolled by United States monopolies.

In the U.S.S.R. water power resourc-
es are controlled by the socialist state;
in Canada they come under the juris-
diction of the provincial governments.

“The time has come,” wrote British
Columbia Communist leader Nigel
Morgan in: his pamphlet, The Case For
a Canadian Water Policy, “when water
must be considered a-natural resource
on a federal, rather than a regional
scale. Canada’s water is a key resource
—an indispensable prerequisit for
the continued growth of population,
industrial expansion, and _ increasing
variety and levels of agricultural pro-
duction . . . Canada’s water must not
be alienated. ‘The U.S.A. idea that
Canadian water is a “continental re-
source’ must be rejected every time
thirsty Americans bring it up. Cana-
dian water must be. developed to build

a better, more prosperous and secure’

Canada for all Canadians. It must not
be sold for a quick profit to the detri--
ment of this and future generations.”

ih ns

The construction of a de

WONDER-WORKING
- GIANTS OF POWER

PUT

The four basic sources of energy—coal, oil, natural gas and electric
power—provide an essential means by which a nation’s people can de-
velop their country at a rapid pace, given the opportunity to do so. People,
of course, are still the main resource: but people require adequate sup-
plies of energy, and a government which encourages development.

This article deals with electric power generation—water power, ther-
mal power, and new sources of energy—nuclear and tidal.

SUPDUDEOUEUUAUOUGUUCGEEOUUOUEOLOGUUOQEOOUEUOUEEOEOUOEERSODEUEROCSULUUERUEEOGEOO CPDCUEOGUEUEUL OOOO CEOGUCCOUO EEO GUEEEEE OUTS

A booklet, Water Resources for To-
day and Tomorrow, published by the
Canadian Association for Adult Educa-
tion some 14 years ago, made these
points: ©

“Fresh water ranks as Canada’s most
precious natural resource. The econo-
my of the nation has largely depend-
ed upon the availability of water. to
create hydroelectric power to run in-
dustry. -As with most matters involv-
ing Ottawa and the provinces, the BNA
Act is the root of today’s dilemma over
the water resource. The Act, and sub-
sequent interpretations, sets out the
jurisdictional fields of federal and
provincial governments. Basically, the
provinces have the responsibility for
the administration and-control of the
resource within their political bounda-
ries. However, the Act does allow Par-
liamentary jurisdiction over water in
national parks and Indian reserves and
along or crossing the international
boundary, and in some cases, over in-
terprovincial waters.”

In May, 1965, General A.G.L.
McNaughton reminded Canadians that
“our water supply, while ample at pre-
sent, probably is no more than may
be required by future generations . . .
In exporting water, we are exporting
economic development . . . We must
resist any temptation in the foresee-
able future to sell water of national
origin to the United States, regardless
of how attractive current prices may
appear.”

x)

Every year sees the output of elec-

tric power growing in the Soviet Union.

page. 8 :

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Wy

& grag

m has begun in the area of the Sayano-

Shushensky Hydroelectric Power Station on the Yenisei River.
Selected as the place for building the station is the Karlovsky Neck
which has spurs of ranges of almost 1 km high on both sides of the
river. It is planned to build a town of 6 and 7 storey houses on the
left bank of the river where the village of Cheremushki stands. After
the construction of the hydropower station this will be a place of
residence of its operation staff. It will have 12 turbines each with a
capacity of 530,000 kw, and these will generate about 23,000 mil-

lion kwh of electricity annually.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1970—PAGE 4

state. And _ this

CUEUURCAEERUOUERER ODOT EEE EEE

One of the Rope

rnmost Soviet hydroelectric s*°

tia, in the zone of permafrost. Our photo shows the "

reservoir canal of the Viluisk hydroelectric station:

It holds first place in Europe and sec-

ond in .the world (after the United
States) in the total output of energy,
in@uding hydraulic power. Its poten-
tial and its growth-rate of power gene-
ration far outstrip the U.S.A.

“Communism,” Lenin said in 1920
when outlining the GOELRO Plan for
the electrification of Russia, “presup-
poses Soviet power as a political organ
which enables the exploited masses to
run all the affairs of state. Without
this communism is inconceivable . . .
This ensures the political side, but the
economic side can only be ensured
when all the threads of a big indus-
trial machine built on the basis of
modern technology will indeed be con-
centrated in the Russian proletarian
means electrifica-
tion. s

The first hydropower station, begun
in 1918 on the Volkov River, was built
with spades and pickaxes. Its capacity
was only 56,000 kilowatts. Later new
stations were built on the Svir, Dnie-
per, Don, Volga and other rivers. Then
came the -giant Bratsk Hydropower
Station, largest in the world. Soon it
will be surpassed by the even more
powerful Krasnoyarsk plant (5 million
kilowatts) and the Sayano-Shushen-
skoye project on the Yenisel River
(near the village where Lenin was once
exiled) with a capacity of 6,400,000
kilowats.

Siberia has become a major power
producer which generates the cheapest
electricity in the world. Central
Siberia’s annual output is more than
85,000 million kilowatt hours: this
figure will be doubled in the next
decade. :

In 1920 the GOELRO Plan envisaged
the ability to transmit electric power
300 miles: today electricity is trans-
mitted to consumers up to 750 miles
away, and the overall length of. high-
voltage powerlines, operating at ten-
sions of from 35,000 to 800,000 volts,
is about 300,000 miles. This will in-

- crease 100 percent by 1980. At present

there are 11 grids linking up all Soviet
power stations, but within a few years
one integrated power grid will serve
the whole of the U.S.S.R.

There is also a link-up with other
COMECON countries. The Mir (Peace)
network has enabled the European
socialist countries to make power pro-
duction more reliable and’ economical.

Three provinces in Canada each have
more than one million kilowatts in-
stalled capacity: Quebec has the great-
est capacity, Ontario is second and

Great

British Columbia third. The vom

Lakes—St. Lawrence drainage SY
has the largest installed capacity he
any river system in Canada.
Columbia River system, comP mil
harnassed and utilized, and the eet
ton basin in Labrador offer spectae

nce
possibilities now that long-dis ally
transmission has become econom
feasible.
: rivers

The Soviet Union’s 108,000 nal
with a total length,of one and 4 nce
million miles (five times the qe
between the Earth and the Moon) 1 of
a hydropower economic potent to
1,720,000 million kwh, second 0? ee
China, which has 2 million kwh. ° ding
tential hydro resources. Correspom ;
figures for Europe (excluding ada
USSR), the United States and Co,
are 514, 419 and 325 thousand m!
kwh. respectively.

The main power giants
U.S.S.R. are situated on the
Dnieper, Volga, Kama, Angara,
sei, Lena, Ob, Ortysh, Amu
Vakhsh and Naryn. wet

I have visited a number of PO”
stations in the Soviet Union: onthe
the most interesting trips was
Nurek station under construction
the Vakhsh River in Tajikistan. his

There is a local legend about al
river. In ancient times a beaut at
Tajik girl named Soadat declared 1d
she would marry the man who Ww?

in
rivers
yenl

pary

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"Communism presuPp”
poses Soviet power as 4
political organ which en-
ables the exploited mass
es to run all the affairs
of state. Without this
communism is inconcelY-
able... This ensures the
political side, but the
‘economic side can only
be ensured when all the
threads of a big indus-
trial machine built on the
basis of modern techno-
logy will indeed be con-
centrated in the Russian
proletarian state. And
this means electrifica-

tion...'' LENIN—1920

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