People gathered in Glendale in February to protest the city’s approval to build a fossil fuel power plant.
Courtesy of Morgan Goodwin
Glendale, a suburb of Los Angeles that is home to Walt Disney Imagineering and the famous Brand Boulevard, may be the last city in California to build a fossil fuel power plant. The move angered residents and conservationists, who called on the city to invest in clean energy to slow the climate crisis.
Glendale has offered to spend $ 260 million on five new natural gas-powered generators that will produce about 93 megawatts at the Grayson power plant, enough to power a medium-sized city. The decision comes after the state passed legislation requiring 100% clean energy by 2045.
The ongoing debate on the plant highlights a broader question of how California needs to figure out how to eliminate fossil fuel warming planets while continuing to power communities, which utilities say will require continued investment in natural gas. The power sector accounts for about 16 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the California Air Resources Council.
Environmentalists say the power plant is less than a mile from several schools, children’s centers and other community centers and will increase greenhouse gas emissions in a city already suffering from poor air quality. They argue that the plant will have more pollution for years to come and that investment to finance the new generators is a loss as the country switches to cleaner energy sources.
But Glendale Water & Power, the local state-owned company, says its proposed heat production will run at just 14% capacity – significantly less polluting than the current gas engines – and will provide vital backup power to the city. The new generators, he said, will provide energy in the event that transmission lines are shut down to mitigate the risk of forest fires, as well as supply air conditioning during unbearable heat waves.
The argument for “bridge fuel” for natural gas
This week, the city council voted for an amendment to suspend any purchase of gas generators until the end of the year, a move, according to environmental groups, is only a temporary delay, but is praised as a step in the right direction.
Mark Young, general manager of Glendale Water & Power, said the delay was disappointing and did not recognize the importance of ensuring reliable heat production for the city when residents need backup power.
“My job is to make sure everyone has enough electricity when they need it. I feel like I’m the big bad wolf who loves heat generation,” Young said. “I don’t – I love a reliable generation.”
“Our portfolio keeps gas generators on only when we need them in case of a problem,” Young said. “We are trying to balance the needs of the environment and the needs of residents for reliable and favorable energy.”
The Grayson Power Plant is located on the border of Glendale and Burbank.
Courtesy of Morgan Goodwin
As part of the city’s broader task of investing in clean energy, Glendale Water & Power is working to deploy a 75-megawatt rechargeable battery in the power plant. The utility is also working on a virtual power plant that will produce 28 megawatts of solar energy by installing solar panels and batteries in homes and apartments across the city.
Young said the company’s clean energy options have been exhausted, largely due to the fact that there is not enough transmission capacity on power lines to bring energy outside the Los Angeles basin.
“We are extremely progressive in our vision and we don’t deserve credit for that,” Young said. “Natural gas is supposed to be a bridge to 100% clean energy.”
But environmental groups are not buying it.
Byron Chan, an associate attorney for Earthjustice’s environmental law firm, said more than 400 residents had mobilized and protested against the company’s fossil fuel burning proposal in 2018. Since then, the company has not fully responded to community concerns. he said.
“Given what we know about natural gas emissions, it is unbelievable that in 2022 we are investing in fossil fuels when there are clean energy options that are falling in price and becoming more readily available,” he said. Chan.
Environmental groups also argue that the proposed gas engines will not be able to run beyond the 2045 deadline and will therefore become blocked assets. However, Glendale Water & Power claims that the company will eventually be able to operate on green hydrogen units, which are produced by electrolysis of water powered by solar or wind energy and is still in its infancy.
Morgan Goodwin, a Glendale resident and senior director of the Sierra Club in Los Angeles, said the main battle for the power plant is whether or not fossil fuel production plays a role in deciding climate change.
“The answer is obviously no,” Goodwin said. “But the messages we receive from the fossil fuel industry still advertise the benefits of bridge fuels. If our elected leaders are willing to say, “No fossil fuels means no fossil fuels,” then this is an example of what we want to see nationally.
“We ask Glendale Water & Power and other utilities to make some profound changes in the way they work,” Goodwin said. “This is their opportunity to demonstrate leadership and courage.”