SDG&E Adds Geothermal Energy from Northern California

San Diego Gas & Electric recently announced that it has signed a four-year power-purchase agreement with Calpine Energy Services, L.P., a subsidiary of Calpine Corporation, to procure 25 megawatts (MW) of geothermal energy from the Calpine Geysers facility in Northern California. 

The Geysers facility is a complex of 15 geothermal power plants, drawing steam from more than 330 wells, located in the Mayacamas Mountains, approximately 70 miles north of San Francisco.  The Geysers is the largest geothermal power producing site in the world, with Calpine owning 725 MW of active installed capacity. 

Under the agreement, which runs through 2014, the geothermal facility will produce enough “green” power for more than 15,000 households and will contribute more than 200 gigawatt-hours per year of renewable energy toward SDG&E’s Renewable Portfolio Standard procurement goal.

“SDG&E is committed to developing new sources of green energy for our customers and to meeting the state’s aggressive renewable goals,” said Matt Burkhart, vice president of electric & fuel procurement for SDG&E.  “This geothermal agreement will increase SDG&E’s portfolio of clean power resources to approximately 14 percent in 2010.”

“We are pleased to extend our relationship with SDG&E through this contract,” said Alex Makler, vice president, strategic origination, for Calpine Energy Services.  “This is another example of how we can help our customers meet their needs for clean, renewable power by providing them with reliable base load geothermal generation from our plants at The Geysers.”

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