Letters to the Editor: LADWP’s hydrogen proposal is a costly bet on ‘risky, unproven technology’
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- With federal hydrogen funding eliminated, LADWP’s $800-million Scattergood conversion project will increasingly burden ratepayers, forcing them to cover rising costs.
- The utility has failed to release updated cost estimates and provide certainty that green hydrogen will be available, risking decades of continued fossil fuel pollution.
- Proven clean-energy alternatives—battery storage, solar and demand response—could deliver better returns on investment while LADWP pursues this unproven hydrogen technology.
To the editor: The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Scattergood hydrogen proposal is a terrible deal for ratepayers (“In controversial move, LADWP says it will shift its largest gas power plant to hydrogen,” Oct. 29).
With federal funding cut, ratepayers largely would shoulder the full cost of the estimated $800-million project, a price tag that attorney Theo Caretta points out is “several years outdated and likely an underestimation,” according to the article. The project is probably more expensive now, given federal actions derailing the hydrogen industry.
Yet LADWP still hasn’t released an updated cost estimate. Uncertain funding also makes it doubtful that 100% green hydrogen will be available, heightening the risk of long-term reliance on polluting methane gas — a fossil fuel.
While clean, affordable alternatives like battery storage, solar energy and demand response exist today, this hydrogen project’s price tag diminishes our ability to pay for expanded renewables. LADWP must release an updated price tag for Scattergood and explain why more cost effective, proven clean-energy alternatives were not thoroughly considered. Ratepayers can’t afford to have their money wasted on risky, unproven technology that just became even more costly.
Leah Garland, Los Angeles
