CHAPTER 5.15 POWER GENERATION The Reconnaissance Report outlined the power requirements of various islands of the Atoll for construction of facilities to serve utility and experimental loads, It also described the load cycle anticipated for two~ experiment use of these facilities. Maximum power demand estimates were made for various sites in order to analyze the over-all power system. Hydro-electric, steam electric, and diesel electric generating plants were considered, The hydro-electric plant was eliminated because of insufficient elevation for the required head pressure. Steam plants were judged to be too costly, involving expensive building construction and the employment of specially trained operating personnel. One main plant location to serve all areas was considered and rejected because its use would involve long transmission lines, step-up and step-down transformers, and inefficient operation at all times except the relatively few times when the plant would be operating at full load. Diesel engine generator plants were finally chosen as the type most suitable for use, with one or more units to be installed at each site. This choice offered a diversified plant which could be operated by experienced diesel engine operators, Because the units were small, they could be salvaged or relocated readily, and the diversification of plants meant that loss of one unit or plant would not result in loss of power throughout the entire site. In addition to the construction of power plants on the three major test sites and the three primary headquarters sites, it was determined that the power requirements at the photo tower locations would be met by portable generating equipment installed adjacent to the photo towers on three sites. Power for the fourth site was supplied by a submarine power cable from the power plant on Runit because the tower was on a reef which was submerged except at low tides, The de- cision to use separate power plants for the photo towers was made because power lines from island to island might not be dependable at experiment time and because power would be required for the photo towers for a con- siderable length of time after each experiment. The main power plants on the experiment islands were planned to operate for only a few seconds after the blast. In connection with the power plants for the photo towers, battery chargers and battery equipment were provided so that power would be available as long as needed, SELECTION OF EQUIPMENT The selection of the main generating units required very careful analysis of available equipment in order to meet the over-all requirements most economically. A general specification setting forth the major requirements was prepared and submitted to vendors of this type of equipment, Proposals were received from General Motors, Fairbanks-Morse, Caterpillar, and Worthington, and a careful analysis was made, giving consideration to the following factors: 5-202 -