*This news release was originally published and distributed by the Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti
The announcement was made at the grand opening of the Red Cloud Wind Project in New Mexico, the largest and lowest cost wind farm in L.A. history
NEW MEXICO (February 23, 2022) — Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced the completion of the Red Cloud Wind Project, a major renewable energy agreement that will provide enough clean energy to power roughly 222,300 homes in Los Angeles and boost the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s (LADWP) clean energy portfolio by 6% — allowing the department to receive over 60% of its power from carbon-free sources this year.
“If we’re going to make this decade one of exponential climate action, we need more than just bold goals and lofty long-term promises — we need real solutions and results today,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Bringing this state-of-the-art facility online makes it our largest wind project to date — providing clean energy for hundreds of thousands of Angelenos and bringing us one major step closer to becoming a city powered without fossil fuels.”
Mayor Garcetti announced the milestone at the grand opening of the New Mexico Western Spirit Wind Farm Complex, the single largest renewable energy project in United States history. The Red Cloud Wind project, which is one of four projects at the complex, began commercial operation in December of last year. Red Cloud is now generating up to 350 megawatts (MW) of new wind power daily, which saves 464,040 metric tons of carbon emissions annually — the equivalent of removing nearly 100,000 gas-fueled cars from the road per year.
“The Red Cloud Wind Project is providing renewable wind power from New Mexico to Los Angeles, traveling along the same transmission line that once carried energy from a closed coal power plant. With this addition, LADWP is now securing more than 60% of its power supply from carbon-free energy resources,” said Cynthia McClain-Hill, President of the LADWP Board of Water and Power Commissioners. “Innovative and ambitious projects like this one, along with local clean energy programs for all of our customers, are what will keep LA on track to not only achieve our renewable energy goals, but to do so equitably.”
“Red Cloud has moved the needle on clean energy to more than 60% of our city’s power supply,” said LADWP General Manager and Chief Engineer Martin Adams. “With the combination of ideal wind conditions and the latest high-efficiency wind turbines, Red Cloud shows that the city of Los Angeles can achieve our clean energy goals while keeping rates affordable and power reliable.”
Mayor Garcetti has directed LADWP to pursue one of the most aggressive clean energy portfolios in the world, including an ambitious goal to reach a 100% clean energy grid by 2035. Since 2013, the share of Los Angeles’ electricity coming from renewable sources has more than doubled to 43% compared to just 20% back in 2013, which exceeds the State’s current target. In 2019, Mayor Garcetti announced the approval of power purchase agreements for the Eland Solar and Storage Center — the largest solar and battery energy storage system in the United States, capable of producing and holding enough energy to power 283,330 homes across Los Angeles.
The Mayor has taken bold steps to reduce the City’s reliance on dirty energy sources, from completely divesting from coal power by 2025, to building out the largest public EV charging network of any city in the country. L.A. has decreased greenhouse gas emissions from its power grid by 59% from 1990 to 2020 and during the Mayor’s tenure, secured its position as the #1 solar city in the U.S. for seven out of the last eight years.
###
