Biomass energy gets a boost

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) announced it has filed with the California Public Utilities Commission two power-purchase agreements to supply 10 megawatts of renewable, biomass energy - the equivalent energy required to power 6,500 homes.

Every year since 2002, SDG&E has solicited supply bids for clean, renewable power to meet California's mandate that 20 percent of the utility's energy portfolio come from renewable resources by 2010.

"We are excited to continue building our renewable energy supply for San Diego with our newest biomass-energy agreements," said Debra L. Reed, president and chief executive officer for SDG&E. "We are committed to meeting the state's requirement for 20 percent of our portfolio being clean, renewable energy that we deliver to our customers; it supports our vision for a greener San Diego."

One of the Envirepel Energy, Inc. biomass projects will be located on the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation and the other in Ramona, Calif. Both are scheduled to be online by 2008-2009.

In addition to the Envirepel agreements, SDG&E continues to work on various offers received in its 2007 renewable bidding process, also known as "request for offers," or RFO. SDG&E assesses all conforming bids according to the adopted regulatory framework of the CPUC to determine which resources best meet customer needs at the lowest cost.

In other generation news, the CPUC approved during its Nov. 16 meeting SDG&E's request to exercise its option to acquire the El Dorado Energy plant located in Nevada. The El Dorado plant will add 480 megawatts of natural gas-fired generation to San Diego's energy resource mix beginning in 2011 and represents an excellent value for customers.

SDG&E currently serves 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 830,000 natural gas meters. The utility's service area spans 4,100 square miles and serves customers in more than 125 communities from southern Orange County to the Mexican border.