Company energizes plan for Vacaville power plant

Company energizes plan for Vacaville power plant
By Ian Thompson | Daily Republic | August 21, 2008

VACAVILLE - The Maryland-based power company that wants to build a 660-megawatt power plant near Elmira is about to make its pitch to the California Energy Commission.

If Competitive Power Ventures obtains approvals from the state and a contract with PG&E, construction could begin as early as late 2009 and the plant would be operational in 2013.

Andrew Welch, the company's vice president, said the plant can deliver the power that PG&E needs.

'There is a continued need based on growth,' Welch said. 'California also has a lot of older power plants with technology that is not longer as efficient or clean that, at some point, need to be retired.'

Confident that the proposed plant is what the area needs, Welch said Competitive Power Ventures plans to start building the plant even if it doesn't have a contract with PG&E.

'It is a healthy market with a half-dozen entities doing projects,' Welch said. 'We are not the only players, but we think we are the best.'

In July, the Vacaville City Council approved leasing 25 acres near the Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant to Competitive Power Ventures.

The plan is to build a natural gas-powered electrical plant similar to, but larger than, four power plants in Fairfield and Suisun City. These plants are called peaker plants because they only operate only during periods of high electrical demand.

Vacaville could get as much as $1.7 million a year from lease payments, property taxes and selling treated wastewater to the plant, Vacaville Finance Director Ken Campo. The wastewater will be used to cool generators at the plant.

See the complete story at the Daily Republic online.