Posted on 01/08/2006 8:06:53 PM PST by Amerigomag
Electricity is not something most folks think about except when it's not there. But it's drawing attention from Valley communities funding a plan that may bring construction of a local power plant to generate electricity at a lower cost and improve electricity reliability for Valley residents and businesses.
The proposal is by the Fresno-based Kings River Conservation District. The district is willing to build a $350 million, 500-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant to generate electricity if the 12 member communities are willing to participate. One megawatt can serve 1,000 homes with electricity.
For three years, the district has been working on the project with 11 cities and Kings County. The plant would be built by 2010 to provide power generation. Transmission and distribution will remain the responsibilities of Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison. Generation represents about 35% of the electricity portion of a PG&E bill. The district's plan is to serve 320,000 home and business customers stretching from Dinuba to the east, Kerman on the west, and south to Corcoran.
With construction of a plant, savings for customers are estimated at $780 million, or 6%, from generation costs that are forecast to be charged by investor-owned utilities between 2007 and 2025. Lower costs are expected because the district has access to low-interest financing, is not a tax-paying entity and does not have to earn a profit for stockholders.
Equally important to cost savings is added reliability with a local electricity source. For Valley communities, generation often comes from other parts of California and the western United States. The district's study, by Navigant Consulting of Rancho Cordova, cites PG&E studies showing the utility does not have enough generation to meet the Valley's growing needs.
(Excerpt) Read more at fresnobee.com ...
I thought California wasn't going to need power plants. That everybody would have a solar-powered home, use biomass for fuel and ride bicycles to work and school.
Why would they need a power plant?
I've got lots of biomass I'm willing to sell them cheap... at least once a day.
I wish they'd stop burning natural gas for electricity...
Keeps raising the cost of natural gas. Dumb.
reliability and cost savings as well. sounds good to me.
This little gas fired plant is just a dress rehearsal.
The prize is the hydro generation on the Kings and San Joaquin Rivers which this hybrid group has the authority to seize. Loss of this hydro power would increase pressure on CALISO and present the new system owners with a profit potential on surplus sales.
It will be a new version of the classic water war.
I heard a little known fact; the hydro electricity generated by the CA San Joaquin River power plant network built early last century produces more electricity than Hoover Dam. If they can add to it, then more power to them!
I heard that Babs Streisand was going to start putting her lights on timers. That should help a lot.
Oh you think it's expensive now, wait until Arnold puts in his hydrogen highway. They get the hydrogen from natural gas you know.
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