Los Angeles mayor embraces a future with clean geothermal energy
Mayor Eric Garcetti (Source: Flickr, LA Mountains, Creative Commons)
Parker O'Halloran
2 Jun 2017
Agreement with the Southern California Public Power Authority will provide Los Angeles with approximately 150 MW of geothermal energy.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has signed a new 26-year power sales agreement for renewable geothermal power that will provide enough clean energy for 208,000 Los Angeles homes and businesses. This is equivalent to 701,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year, which is roughly equivalent to taking 135,000 gas-fueled cars off the road.
The power agreement was approved by the City Council May 16, 2017 and signed by Mayor Eric Garcetti May 19, 2017. The agreement with the Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) will provide Los Angeles with approximately 150 megawatts (MW) of clean, reliable renewable energy from the Northern Nevada Geothermal Portfolio Project, which will be developed by ONGP LLC, a subsidiary company of Ormat Technologies, Inc. based in Reno, Nevada.
“I promised Angelenos we would kick L.A.’s dependence on coal, and projects like this are exactly how we’ll do it,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Washington may be burying its head in the sand — but by embracing geothermal energy and other renewables, we’re showing that cities can, and will, continue to lead the fight against climate change.”
LADWP will receive the full production of geothermal energy from the facility over 26 year agreement. This project will include a portfolio of geothermal facilities that will be brought on line over three development periods. The first facility is expected to provide 24 MW of power by December 31, 2017, with subsequent developments in commercial operation by December 31, 2022.
Geothermal energy offers many benefits where wind and solar fall short. Geothermal can provide continuous energy generation, with an expected rate of 95 percent or more of its capacity year-round. With its base-load predictability, geothermal energy also saves on transmission and other integration costs, as compared to variable renewables like wind and solar power.
The geothermal energy purchased from the Northern Nevada Geothermal Portfolio Project will represent five percent of LADWP’s renewable energy goals.
Source: Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. “New Geothermal Project Helps Create Clean Energy Future for Los Angeles” June 1, 2017.
