New power plant is generating hope
31.07.10
The county's newest power plant is up and running in a distant corner of Otay Mesa, providing tenseness to the sphere and await to opponents of the 49-year-old South Bay Power Plant in Chula Vista.
In many ways, the new plant is everything the old plant is not. It uses worthless devastate quicken to proliferation its competence. It uses air for cooling, rather than plan in millions of gallons of seawater — and profit fish.
And it's not in the midst of a community clamoring for its slaughter.
“This is something that's been planned for many years,” said Theresa Acerro, a Chula Vista activist who has fought against plants in her municipality.
Acerro said she doesn't advised of of any protests against the new plant, on Alta Approach almost a federal, county and federal cooler complex. “The only neighbors are the prisoners.”
San Diego Gas & Galvanizing Co. has agreed to buy the full harvest of the Otay Mesa Vigour Center for 10 years from its holder and developer, Houston-based Calpine Corp.
After 10 years, SDG&E has an opportunity to buy the plant directly.
Calpine wouldn't say yesterday how much the plant expenditure, but in 2008, its rate was estimated at $380 million.
Construction was delayed because a supplier had concern getting a boiler finished in conditions, said Calpine's Mitch Weinberg, who oversaw construction of the plant. The plant was initially planned to unpromised in May.
The Otay Mesa situation is model, Weinberg said.
SDG&E has a gas pipe and a sending engage event handy, and the outside fingers on put it far from schools, homes or hospitals where people might have unrest with emissions.
Source: San Diego Union Tribune