Los Angeles abandons natural gas and chooses renewables
Energy — di Cecilia Bergamasco
The Californian metropolis will become zero-emissions by 2045, betting on solar, wind and energy efficiency.
Los Angeles abandons natural gas and chooses renewables
The Californian metropolis will become zero-emissions by 2045, betting on solar, wind and energy efficiency.
Los Angeles is abandoning its plan to replace three ageing coastal gas-fired power stations with new technology that would still run on natural gas, choosing instead to invest in renewable energy and thereby launch its energy transition. The news was announced by Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles.
The climate crisis demands that we move with urgency to end dependence on fossil fuels — so we decided to not repower three coastal natural gas power plants as a big step forward in L.A.'s future. Enjoyed discussing with @AliVelshi on @MSNBC: on.msnbc.com/2SLdZgp
Los Angeles accelerates its decarbonisation process
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (Ladwp), which serves as the city's municipal utility, has for years had plans to modernise the natural gas-fired facilities at Scattergood, Haynes and Harbour, which are now non-compliant under a 2010 California law stipulating that power plants may no longer use ocean water for cooling. Under the Department's plans, the new plants were to have used air as their cooling system.
"Los Angeles, which has already taken steps to eliminate coal from its energy mix, must also abandon natural gas in order to achieve its goal of becoming a zero-emissions city by 2050. The climate crisis demands faster action to end our dependence on fossil fuels," said Eric Garcetti. The natural gas-fired plants will be phased out by 2029.
According to data from the California Energy Commission, the Department of Water and Power purchased one third of its energy from natural gas plants in 2017, and the three power stations located on the coast account for almost 40 per cent of total production. Meanwhile, one third of electricity demand was met by renewable sources such as solar and wind.
Los Angeles towards 100% renewable
The mayor's decision comes several months after state legislators approved a law requiring California to obtain one hundred per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2045, up from a previous target of fifty per cent renewable by 2030.
The Scattergood, Haynes and Harbour plants currently represent more than 2 GW of operational capacity and will be replaced with photovoltaic installations combined with energy storage systems, alongside broader energy efficiency improvements.
Consultants have estimated that the cost of replacing the three power plants with renewable energy and storage systems amounts to around 3.4 billion dollars, roughly one billion dollars more than the estimated cost of 2.2 billion dollars required to modernise the three plants with gas-fired equipment.
The LA mayor's decision therefore marks the end of the 2.2 billion dollar plan for combined-cycle gas power plants and sets in motion the transition towards the 100 per cent renewable target by 2045.