Los Angeles Axes Natural Gas Plans In Favor of More Clean Energy

SEATTLE (Oil Monster):  Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has announced that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) will not repower three coastal natural gas power plants, representing a movement toward more renewable energy.

The repowering of natural gas units at three major once-through-cooling natural gas plants – Scattergood, Haynes and Harbor – had been previously planned by LADWP.

“This is the beginning of the end of natural gas in Los Angeles,” says Garcetti. “The climate crisis demands that we move more quickly to end dependence on fossil fuel, and that’s what today is all about.”

The decision to phase out the units – which together represent 38% of the city’s current natural gas portfolio – by 2029 will accelerate L.A.’s transition to 100% renewable energy and put the city on track to meet its 2050 carbon-neutral target, the mayor says.

In order to more quickly discover clean options to replace the power generated by the three plants, Garcetti has directed LADWP to shift the focus from its previous Strategic Long Term Resource Plan to the current 100% Renewable Energy Study — a $10 million analysis launched in 2017 with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to determine a feasible path to 100% clean energy.

LADWP will also allocate financial resources to explore innovative alternatives, including public-private partnerships, new and upgraded transmission and distribution systems, microgrid technologies, and enhanced energy storage projects, over the coming years.

Courtesy: www.nawindpower.com