Southern California Edison signs seven new renewable power contracts

Southern California Edison (SCE) has signed seven new long-term contracts with independent renewable energy power generators.

The agreements secure a potential of 324 megawatts of clean power, the amount needed to serve 190,000 average homes. The utility also announced it is making progress on other initiatives designed to further strengthen its renewable power portfolio, already the nation’s largest.

"These new contracts help us address two priorities: finding additional generation to meet our customers’ growing energy needs, and securing environmentally-friendly resources,” said SCE Senior Vice President of Power Procurement Pedro Pizarro. "We congratulate the winning bidders in this, our third major competitive solicitation seeking renewable resources."

SCE currently serves between 16% and 17% of its customers’ needs with renewable energy, and is working toward a goal of having at least 20% of its power deliveries under contract with renewable suppliers.

Winning bidders in SCE's renewable power solicitation included Coso Clean Power, MM Tajiguas Energy, Imperial Valley Resource Recovery, Caithness 251 Wind and Ridgetop Energy.

"These new agreements are only the first results of a successful 2005 solicitation," said SCE Director of Renewable and Alternative Energy Stuart Hemphill. "We continue to work with other renewable resource developers on significant, additional renewable energy contracts that we hope to complete in the near future."

SCE says it's attracted another promising set of proposals from wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal providers. The utility expects soon to begin negotiations with bidders whose proposed projects appear to be the most promising.

Additionally, SCE is seeking authorization from the CPUC to construct a series of new and upgraded high-voltage transmission lines that would deliver electricity from potential new wind farms in the Antelope Valley, east of Los Angeles. Several wind farms are in varying stages of planning and development in the area. When completed, Antelope projects could be capable of delivering 1,100 megawatts of electricity, enough energy to supply approximately 715,000 average homes.

For more information:

www.edisonnews.com

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