Burbank Ready to Recharge

Moving to shore up their energy supplies, a number of Southern California cities may jointly finance construction of a new $180-million power plant in Burbank as part of a proposed power-sharing agreement, officials said Wednesday.

The plant would generate 250 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 250,000 homes. Burbank’s existing 50-year-old power plant can generate up to 220 megawatts.

If the California Energy Commission grants the license, the new generator could be up and running by 2004, said Fred Fletcher, assistant general manager of the city’s Department of Water and Power.

“Over the past 10 years, the city has become more dependent on spot prices,” Fletcher said, because the city has been forced to buy power from outside generators. The city now generates only about 15% of its power, because the old plant is inefficient and costly to operate.

Burbank officials hope to finance the new plant through the Southern California Public Power Authority, whose 11 members could help pay the planning, construction and operational costs in return for a percentage of the power it generates.

Eight of the 11 have expressed interest in the project, Fletcher said. Besides Burbank, they are: Pasadena, Glendale, Anaheim, Colton, Riverside, Vernon and the Imperial Irrigation District.

The Burbank and Anaheim city councils voted Tuesday night to enter into a planning agreement with SCPPA to build the generator, Fletcher said. Similar votes before the other local governments are pending.

The new plant would be built near the city’s existing power plant on Magnolia Street. If approved, the city would decommission two of the plant’s seven vintage generators--the newest of which opened in the 1960s, Fletcher said.

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Plans to build a new generator have been discussed for two years as the city studied its options. But it has taken on new interest with the state’s power crisis. And the state’s time frame for granting the needed permit has been shortened, Fletcher said.

“The state is crying for new power and all the infrastructure is in place so I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want it,” said Steve Homer, project administrator for the SCPPA.

Claudia Chandler, assistant executive director of the state Energy Commission, said the new fast-track program spawned by the energy crisis cuts the application process to six months from 12 months.

Despite the quicker process, she said the city still will have to comply with all environmental and other regulations.

“All it does is expedite the process,” Chandler said. “It doesn’t compromise it.”

The proposed plant will generate more power than Burbank needs, Fletcher said, so the extra electricity will be transmitted to the other cities based on the percentage of costs they have agreed to pay.

Fletcher said the city eventually would like to replace all of its old generators. “New power plants are so much more fuel efficient,” said Burbank City Manager Robert “Bud” Ovrom. “And they are 95% cleaner, creating less air pollution.”

Los Angeles, Burbank and Glendale residents have been spared threats of rolling blackouts because officials in those cities opposed deregulating their municipal power plants.

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Since the state’s power crisis, Burbank has sold more than $50 million worth of electricity to others, generating $12.5 million in profit, Fletcher said, and offsetting any potential rate increase for residents.

“Those big, old, ugly power plants look pretty good today,” Ovrom said.