August 6, 2008
LADWP BOARD APPROVES NEW WIND POWER AGREEMENT
Project Would Provide 72 Megawatts of Clean Energy to LA–Enough to Power 54,000 Homes per Year
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Board of Commissioners approved a new long-term power purchase agreement on Tuesday for 72 megawatts of renewable wind power–providing enough green energy for approximately 54,000 Los Angeles households each year–that will bring Los Angeles another step closer to achieving its goal of 20% renewable power by 2010 and 35% by 2020.
The 15-year agreement with Willow Creek Energy LLC, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Invenergy Wind LLC, will represent 0.8% of the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) goals established by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LADWP Board of Commissioners. Renewable energy currently accounts for about 8% of LADWP’s power mix. The agreement requires approval of the City Council.
“I’m very pleased that we are able to provide more green energy to the residents and businesses of Los Angeles. This agreement will help make Los Angeles the biggest green city in America,” said Nick Patsaouras, president of the LADWP Board of Commissioners.
“This is another crucial step in climbing the ladder to reach our renewable energy goals, and reduce the carbon footprint of the City of Los Angeles,” said LADWP General Manager and CEO David Nahai. “The LADWP is committed to bringing clean, green energy to Los Angeles, one megawatt at a time.”
The wind power will come from a new wind farm being constructed in Gilliam and Morrow counties, Oregon, and has an expected completion date of Dec. 31, 2008. Under the agreement, LADWP will receive approximately 200,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy per year from the Willow Creek wind project. The project’s power will be received at Bonneville Power Authority’s (BPA) Boardman/Alkali Line, then transmitted to Sylmar in northern Los Angeles through the Pacific DC Intertie, which is jointly owned by LADWP and BPA.
Increasing the amount of renewable energy is a key strategy to reducing the level of greenhouse gas emissions as required by AB 32, “The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006,” which will cap statewide greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by 2020. In addition to AB 32, Mayor Villaraigosa has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the City of Los Angeles to 35% below 1990 levels by 2020.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest municipal utility, provides reliable, low-cost water and power services to Los Angeles residents and businesses in an environmentally responsible manner. LADWP services about 1.4 million electric customers and 680,000 water customers in Los Angeles.
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