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LS Power Signs Additional Solar Contract with SDG&E
SDG&E BOLSTERS ITS RENEWABLE PORTFOLIO WITH MORE SOLAR AND WIND ENERGY FROM CALIFORNIA
SAN DIEGO, August 27, 2010 – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) today
announced that it has signed and submitted for approval a second 20-year power purchase
agreement with an LS Power subsidiary to procure up to 45 megawatts (MW)
of solar energy from the proposed Centinela Solar Energy facility, to be located 90 miles
east of San Diego in California’s Imperial Valley.
The new contract, combined with a 20-year agreement SDG&E signed in May for
up to 130 MW of power from the Centinela project, will provide for a combined total of
up to 175 MW of clean, renewable energy, or enough electricity for more than 60,000
homes.
“This contract reaffirms SDG&E’s ongoing commitment to securing renewable
resources for our customers in the San Diego region,” said Matt Burkhart, vice
president of electric and fuel procurement for SDG&E. “This will also help bring us a
step closer to our goal of bringing in 33 percent of renewable energy by 2020.”
Upon completion in 2014, the Centinela Solar Energy facility will send solar
power to SDG&E’s service territory across the Sunrise Powerlink, a 120-mile, 500-
kilovolt electric transmission line which was designed to increase power reliability in
the region and tap into the vast renewable resources of the Imperial Valley. When
completed in 2012, the new power line is expected to carry up to 1,000 MW of
electricity.
“This is an exciting time in the renewable energy market, and we are looking
forward to continuing our work with SDG&E on this project,” said John King, executive
vice president of LS Power. “This expansion will not only create jobs during these
tough economic times, but it also provides clean energy to SDG&E customers.”
Under the new contract, which runs through 2034, the Centinela Solar Energy
facility will employ photovoltaic technology on a 1,350-acre site near Calexico, Calif. At
peak, the entire project will generate as much as 175 MW of electricity.
Last month, SDG&E signed an additional renewable contract securing 7.5 MW of
wind energy from Coram Energy, LLC of Tehachapi, Calif. An application was filed
with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on July 30, 2010. The Coram
Energy facility is located in the Tehachapi Pass in Kern County, Calif. and began
generating wind energy in June 2005.
These two new contracts combined add another 52.5 MW of renewable energy
generated in California to SDG&E’s portfolio. Both contracts require CPUC approval.
About SDG&E
SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service
to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 840,000
natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility’s area spans
4,100 square miles. SDG&E is committed to creating ways to help our customers save
energy and money every day. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a
Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.
About LS Power
LS Power is a power generation and transmission group with a proven track
record of successful development activities, operations management and commercial
execution. LS Power has been involved in the development, construction, or operations
of over 20,000 MW of power generation throughout the United States. LS Power is
actively developing both power generation and transmission infrastructure to serve the
need for new generation and improve the aging transmission system. Highly regarded
in the financial community, LS Power has raised over $13 billion to support investment
in energy infrastructure since 2005. For more information, visit
www.LSPower.com.
About Coram Energy
Coram Energy is a privately held developer, owner, and operator of windpowered
electric generating facilities focusing on projects in western North America.
The company has continuously and successfully operated wind turbines in the
Tehachapi Pass wind resource area north of Los Angeles for the last 25 years. The
company has additional projects under development in British Columbia and
California.
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