South Bay Replacement Power Station Faces Unexpected Location Problems

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). The South Bay Power Station, a 731-megawatt (MW) facility owned by LS Power Group (East Brunswick, New Jersey) operational since 1960, is to be demolished in 2010. San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E) originally owned the plant but was forced to divest in South Bay in the late 1990’s because of deregulation in California. Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) acquired South Bay from SDG&E and planned to expand at an adjacent site then tear down the old plant. In 2006, LS Power acquired the plant and the development rights for the replacement station.

The City Council of Chula Vista, California has recently indicated they do not want the replacement plant built at the Unified Port of San Diego because an aesthetically pleasing view was wanted. The Port District Commission, from whom the land was to be leased, conformed to the city’s request and agreed not to lease the land. The Port Commission did state that they would help LS Power locate another spot, as there is a requirement for a must-run power station in the area.

The new replacement power station was to be a natural gas-fired 620 MW combined-cycle unit that utilized two combustion turbine/generator (CT) sets, providing heat to duct-fired heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) driving a steam turbine/generator. The unit was to have the best available control technologies installed to maintain air quality. David Hicks, a representative of LS Power, stated that if they can secure another site they still plan for a 2008 kick-off date with a 2010 completion.

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