California Utility to Lose Green Power

Several California green power producers delivered notice to Southern California Edison with their intentions to suspend service to the utility. Cameron Ridge, Windpower Partners, Victory Garden Phase IV Partnership, Sky River Partnership, Ridgetop Energy, Ormesa Geothermal, Ormesa Geothermal II, Luz Solar Partners VIII and IX together provide Southern California Edison with approximately 500 megawatts of electricity, enough for 500,000 homes.

These power producers generate power through renewable resources, such as solar power, wind power and geothermal power. The green utilities have been producing electricity for California for more than a decade.

The green utilities have not been selling electricity on the open market, but have maintained sales of electricity directly to Southern California Edison in concurrence with long-term power purchase contracts. However, since June, the green utilities have been selling electricity at a fraction of the cost of out-of-state generation.

Southern California Edison has failed to respond to the green utilities’ requests for assurances that they would be paid.

In letters to Southern California Edison notifying the utility of the suspensions, each of the green utilities indicated regret that it had been forced to take this step and that it remained open to any proposals that Southern California Edison may have to resolve the situation.

The green utilities want to continue selling electricity to the California market, if they can be assured that they will be paid by the Department of Water Resources or another credit-worthy entity.