DWP Offers Power at Cost to Help State Through Summer (KFWB) --

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is offering the state a minimum of 500 megawatts per day in surplus energy for the summer months. That amount would meet the power demands of Sacramento.

The DWP's Judy Miller says the plan is part of the agency's "Power California First" campaign. She said the new motto means that the DWP will "provide California with as much power as we can generate at out own cost." The offer will be open until September.

The only apparent condition is that the state sign on right away, so the DWP can secure natural gas contracts and pollution credits. Both will be necessary if DWP generators are pushed into overtime this summer. The DWP says the increased output would power 500,000 to 1 million homes throughout California every day, on top of the 3.8 million people they already serve in L.A.

The DWP says they are taking steps to lessen the environmental impact of increased production by providing cleaner energy within existing facilities. Officials say they will complete retrofitting of three gas-fired plants to reduce smog emission by the end of the month. Those gas-fired power plants and six environmentally friendly "peaking" power units will help the the nation's largest municipal utility provide the extra power.

-- PHO (owennos@bigfoot.com), June 15, 2001