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21 April 2006 -- Federal, state, and local officials today dedicated the first new major LA Basin power plant built in the past 30 years, SCE's 1,054 MW Mountainview generating facility in Redlands, Calif. The company called its completion, early and on budget, a unique success story at a time when additional, clean, Southern California power plants are needed but rare.
The plant is located in Southern California's Inland Empire, the fastest growing area in SCE's 11-county service territory and one of the nation's fastest growing regions. Power consumption in San Bernardino and Riverside counties is growing at approximately four percent a year - twice the rate of other areas SCE serves. And the utility anticipates record summer power demand in the area.
"The completion of this power plant will help meet the demand of the continuously growing Inland Empire," said U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein in a letter to SCE Chairman John Bryson. "I am pleased that Southern California Edison has completed such a clean, combined cycle plant capable of providing power to over 685,000 homes in the area."
In July, 2003, SCE signed an option agreement with Sequoia Generating LLC, a subsidiary of InterGen, to acquire the abandoned Mountainview Power Company LLC. Like many California power projects, Mountainview had fallen victim to the reluctance of financial institutions to fund new power plants because of market uncertainties following the state's 2000-2001 energy crisis.
Both the California Public Utilities Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission subsequently approved SCE's proposed acquisition, determining the utility's acquisition of Mountainview would be beneficial to customers.
SCE formally purchased the Mountainview project in March 2004 and immediately resumed construction, hoping to bring the plant online in time for peak summer demand this year. On Dec. 10, 2005, the first of two 527 MW generating units began commercial operations. A second identical unit followed on January 19, 2006.
Both units were completed on budget and ahead of schedule. And the "combined-cycle(a)" design is operating at higher fuel efficiency than forecast. The six Mountainview turbines are producing a kilowatt of electricity using less than 7,000 Btu of fuel, compared to older plants which require 10,000 Btu or more.
"We dedicate this clean, cost-effective generating plant to the people and businesses of the Inland Empire, and to the greater Southern California region," said SCE Chairman John Bryson. "As this region grows, we are pleased to be building the future with the communities we serve."
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