Edison Issues Bid for More Power Generation

LOS ANGELES - - Southern California Edison on Monday issued a formal bid seeking as much as 1,500 megawatts of new electricity generation in a move to encourage power-plant construction in the West, the company said.

The unit of Edison International said it wanted to purchase power under contracts of as long as 10 years in duration.

"Supply forecasts by state agencies show Southern California will need approximately 1,500 megawatts of new generating capacity between now and 2011," Edison Senior Vice President Pedro Pizarro said in a statement.

Power supplies could become tight as early as next summer if extreme conditions develop, Pizarro said. Southern California Edison has more 4.7 million customers in Central, coastal and Southern California.

Last month, California broke numerous records for power consumption during a weeklong heat wave. On July 24, Californians used 50,270 megawatts in the peak hour, up 11% from the 2005 record, according to the state grid operator.

On July 20, the California Public Utilities Commission approved a plan that allowed the costs of new generation contracts to be allocated to all customers within a utility's service territory.

A megawatt is enough to serve about 750 typical California homes.