Mayor Backs Funds for Geothermal Plan

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proposed Wednesday that the city spend $240 million to help construct a transmission line that will allow Los Angeles to tap electricity from geothermal fields in the Salton Sea area.

Dubbed the “Green Path” project, the five-year construction effort will help Villaraigosa meet his goal of having renewable energy sources make up 20% of the electricity provided by the city Department of Water and Power by the year 2010.

When the transmission line is completed, it will be capable of carrying 2,000 megawatts of electricity to California customers, or enough to power 1.5 million homes, with Los Angeles planning to take up to 20% of that power, according to DWP General Manager Ron Deaton.

The mayor called it “a major step forward in our efforts to shift away from outdated fossil fuels of the past and toward the renewable energy resources of the future.”

The project, announced near a North Hollywood dog park beneath DWP power lines, is a partnership between the Los Angeles agency, the Imperial Irrigation District and the nonprofit group Citizens Energy.

The irrigation district -- which has a consumer-owned electric utility that provides power to more than 130,000 customers in the Coachella and Imperial valleys, as well as part of San Diego County -- will spend $150 million. Citizens Energy, which provides low-income residents across the nation with assistance paying their utility costs, will invest $60 million.

The project will upgrade existing transmission lines and create new interconnection points. About 500 miles of new lines will be built, including 100 miles by the DWP.

The new transmission system will benefit power customers in Los Angeles, Imperial, San Diego and Riverside counties, the mayor said.

Deaton said his agency will build part of the system that stretches from Los Angeles toward the Salton Sea, while the Imperial district will build a line from that area toward Los Angeles.

A contract must still be signed between the partners, a financing plan developed, and the project approved by the Los Angeles City Council and DWP board.

The agency may be able to fund the project with existing revenues, Deaton said.