Complete Rebuild Scheduled for 1,440 MW California Plant in December

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is performing Detailed Engineering on a complete rebuild (PEC 06004060) of the 1,440 megawatt (MW) Castaic Pumped-Storage Hydro Power Station (Plant 1501871).

The seventh-largest power plant in California, the Castaic hydroelectric power plant is located in Castaic, California. It consists of six 240 MW Hitachi turbines, six ASEA generators, six penstocks, and six transformers, one for each generator. The first unit of the $105-million project is scheduled for kick-off this December. With the 90-day duration for each unit, the project is scheduled for completion in 2008.

The Castaic pumped-storage hydroelectric plant is situated between two lakes, and water is pumped back and forth between two large reservoirs. Water is pumped to an upper reservoir where it is stored as potential energy. Then it is released to flow back down through the turbine generator to produce electricity during periods of high demand for electricity.

The plant is intended to operate as a peak load generating plant, meaning it is used to meet requirements during the periods of greatest demand. Other power plant unit operating modes include base load and intermediate load generating. Base load units produce electricity at a constant rate and operate continuously, and intermediate load units are used during the passing between base load and peak load requirements.

Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation (York, Pennsylvania) has been contracted to perform the rebuild project. The company offers everything from turnkey delivery of new plants to modernization of existing plants, also a leader in hydropower equipment and services.

The Castaic Pumped-Storage Hydro Power Station is owned and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) (Los Angeles, California). LADWP is the largest municipal-owned utility in the nation. It provides water and electricity to some 3.8 million residents and business in the area.