Los Angeles Announces Plans to Build 120 MW Wind Power Facility

Mayor Jim Hahn recently announced plans for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to build a 120-megawatt wind power facility, the largest municipally owned wind plant in the U.S.

“As the country’s largest municipally owned utility, LADWP has an obligation to continue to set the standard for excellence in public power, and to help reduce our nation’s dependence upon fossil fuels” said Mayor Jim Hahn.

The proposed Pine Tree Wind project, consisting of 80 wind turbines built by General Electric, will be constructed on approximately 22,000 acres of land located 12 miles north of Mojave, California. Wind Turbine Prometheus LLC, a Delaware company, will complete the installation, which is scheduled to begin generating energy in July 2004.

When completed, the facility will provide enough power for more than 100,000 households. The 120 MW generation capacity represents approximately 1.5 percent of LADWP’s total energy requirement. Relying on wind power will save the city approximately $14 million a year in gas costs and will reduce the utility’s carbon dioxide emissions by more than 210,000 tons each year.

"The time has come for LADWP to invest in its own renewable resource generating facility," Hahn said. “This project represents the next evolution of LADWP's Green Power program from buying renewable power on the marketplace to generating its own clean energy."

The maximum cost of the project is expected not to exceed $162 million and will not affect customer rates or the LADWP’s ability to provide reliable service.

“Wind power is a low-cost, reliable source of renewable energy, and this project will improve the air quality in Los Angeles by significantly reducing the emission of carbon dioxide into the environment,” said David Wiggs, LADWP general manager.

Other Resources
In late 2002, the California Energy Commission (CEC) published new high-resolution wind maps of the state on its web site. The new California wind resource maps can be found at: http://www.energy.ca.gov/maps/wind.html.

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