PG&E Signs New Deals to Provide Reliable Power Supply in California
iStock Analyst
10/06/2009
(Source: Datamonitor)Pacific Gas and Electric Company has announced a suite of new power agreements, totaling more than 2,000MW, that are expected to provide many years of clean, reliable electricity for the 15 million people it serves in northern and central California.
As part of its commitment to a cleaner energy future, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has entered into new contracts to buy more than 830MW of renewable generation from solar developers, enough to meet the needs of more than 200,000 average homes.
In addition, to enable the utility to reliably increase its use of renewable energy, PG&E has asked the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to approve new agreements for power from highly efficient and flexible natural gas-fired plants that can balance the fluctuating output of wind and solar resources.
One of the proposed new facilities is a 719MW peaker plant near Antioch to be owned by a subsidiary of Mirant. It is scheduled to be completed by mid-2013. Separately, Mirant has agreed with PG&E to shut down in 2013 its Contra Costa units 6 and 7 older, less efficient generators that rely on water from the Delta for once-through-cooling.
