California orders power providers to get more generation, delay plant closings

摘要

Despite protests from beachfront communities, California regulators are seeking to postpone the retirement of four aging gas-fired power plants that utilize "once-through" ocean water cooling systems. The California Public Utilities Commission also has ordered utilities and other loadserving entities to buy a total of 3,300 MW of new capacity, especially battery storage, in order to ward off looming generation shortages. The PUC's scramble to find new resources and keep old plants online was prompted by the California ISO's recent warning that California could face a capacity shortfall of 4,700 MW in 2022. Specifically, the PUC on November 7 voted to recommend that the State Water Resources Control Board extend the December 31, 2020, retirement deadlines for the Alamitos units 3-5; Huntington Beach unit 2; Redondo Beach units 5, 6 and 8; and Ormond Beach Generating Station units 1 and 2.