USA, California:

Geothermal Generation Gaining New Customers (The Desert Sun)

As Southern California Edison scrambles to replace the 2,200 MWe of critical power it lost with the closure of the San Onofre nuclear power plant, the utility appears to be cutting another source from its energy mix — geothermal power from the Salton Sea.

Edison’s existing contracts for 286 MWe of geothermal power from eight plants at the state’s largest lake are set to expire over a 10-year period between 2016 and 2026, said officials at CalEnergy Operating Corp., the company that owns the plants.

The expiration of the Edison contracts come at a pivotal time for geothermal development at the Salton Sea. The CalEnergy plants represent the first generation of power plants running on steam from the superheated brine pulled up from under the sea and the surrounding area — a resource that some geothermal advocates say could replace most of the power lost from San Onofre.

A GRC Field Trip will visit some of the geothermal power plants around the Salton Sea on Thursday, October 3, as part of the GRC Annual Meeting & GEA Expo being held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

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