Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recently announced that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) will phase out operations at three natural gas-fired power plants by 2029.
Image: Mayor Garcetti along with Council Members after the announcement. Photo: Courtesy of City of Los Angeles.
As per the plans, LADWP will cease natural gas operations at Scattergood, Haynes, and Harbor power plants.
The Mayor stated that the phase out will take place within a decade, accelerating the efforts to end dependence on fossil fuels.
In the connection, LADWP has scrapped plans to repower three coastal natural-gas power plants.
Mayor Garcetti said: “This is the beginning of the end of natural gas in Los Angeles. The climate crisis demands that we move more quickly to end dependence on fossil fuel, and that’s what today is all about.”
The phase-out of three units, which represent about 38% of the city’s current natural gas portfolio, is expected to accelerate the city’s transition to 100% renewable energy and put the city on track in meeting its carbon-neutral target of 2050.
In order to discover cleaner options to replace power generated by the three plants, the Mayor has directed LADWP to focus on its previous Strategic Long Term Resource Plan to the current 100% Renewable Energy Study, a $10m, comprehensive analysis launched in 2017 with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to determine a feasible path towards achieving 100% clean energy.
As part of the resource plan, LADWP plans to allocate financial resources to explore alternatives, including public-private partnerships, new and upgraded transmission and distribution systems, microgrid technologies and energy storage systems in the coming years.
LADWP Board president Mel Levine said: “LADWP’s local generation and transmission system has served the City well for over a century. But it’s time to reimagine it and reconfigure so that, while we maintain reliability and affordability, we transition away from reliance on natural gas as quickly as possible. Climate change demands our vigilance and bold action.”
The water and power department stated that the effort to phase out natural gas is the latest in the its of actions taken by the Mayor in putting the city on a carbon-neutral path.
Councilmember Paul Krekorian said: “There is no more urgent goal to save the planet from climate catastrophe than weaning the world off fossil fuels, and here in Los Angeles, we are taking the tangible steps necessary to do exactly that.
“Because of the Council’s mandate, the DWP is working in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to develop the 100% clean energy roadmap that will be a model for the rest of the country and other cities around the world. With today’s announcement, Mayor Garcetti is boldly advancing this mission by further strengthening our commitment to a clean energy future.”