State Water Resources Control Board Unanimously Approves Extension of OTC Facilities
Members of the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) voted unanimously extended the deadlines for once through-cooled (OTC) compliance for four natural gas power plants in an effort to maintain grid reliability in the Los Angeles area, a vote that took on extra importance after two nights of rotating blackouts last month.
Pumped Storage Legislation Advancing
As we have been reporting, there are two bills dealing with the NextEra Eagle Crest Pumped Storage Project: one is currently being held in committee, and the other passed unanimously and is on its way to the Appropriations Committee where it will likely be held – at least for a while.
Muratsuchi Seeks to Shutter OTC Plants, Against CPUC Proposal to Extend Operating Permits
On February 4, 2020, California State Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi proposed a bill to shutter the five, once-through cooling (OTC) plants that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recently recommended for permit extensions. These plants, which use ocean water for cooling, are currently slated for decommissioning by the end of 2020.