Glendale Water & Power (GWP), a utility serving the City of Glendale in Los Angeles County, has received approval from its city council to move forward with a plan to repower the aging Grayson Power Plant with a combination of renewable energy resources, energy storage and thermal generation.
The plan includes a 75 MW, 300 MWh battery energy storage system; as much as 50 MW of distributed energy resources, including solar photovoltaic systems, energy efficiency and demand response programs; and 93 MW of thermal generation from up to five internal combustion engines.
The city council also directed the staff to continue to seek alternatives that would enhance the sustainability of the utility and continue to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.
This decision came after GWP was directed by the Glendale City Council in April 2018 to re-evaluate the evolving energy sector and determine if there were any viable clean alternatives to its original proposal, which consisted primarily of thermal generation with battery storage.
During the evaluation process, the public had the opportunity to provide input on and participate in information sessions regarding the city’s integrated resource plan (IRP), a planning document meant to create a road map for meeting California’s clean energy mandates. Repowering the Grayson Power Plant was an integral component of the plan and unquestionably became the focal point in the discussions regarding the IRP.
“Our residents have been active and engaged in GWP’s plans to pursue a cleaner alternative to the Grayson Repowering Project. This greener portfolio will allow GWP to provide its customers with reliable and environmentally sustainable power and will enable us to transition to a 100 percent clean energy future,” says Steve Zurn, general manager of GWP.
“We want to express appreciation to our residents, community groups and environmental advocacy proponents for working collaboratively in finding a solution that will meet Glendale’s energy needs,” says Ara Najarian, mayor of Glendale. “In order to further reduce Glendale’s carbon footprint and provide the City of Glendale with clean, safe and renewable power for decades to come, we will continue to direct GWP to seek additional resources while proceeding with the development details of this plan.”
