March 1, 2004

State-of-the-art facility will add much-needed, cost-based generation in California

ROSEMEAD, Calif., March 1, 2004 — Southern California Edison (SCE) announced today it has notified Sequoia Generating LLC, a subsidiary of InterGen, that SCE is exercising its option to purchase the Mountainview Power Company LLC, the owner of a new state-of-the-art power plant currently being developed in Redlands, California.   The utility hopes to close the acquisition this month and bring the plant on-line by the summer of 2006.

“The California Public Utilities Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission both have determined that the Mountainview Project will benefit our customers,” said John E. Bryson, chairman of SCE.  “We commend both commissions for their timely action on this project, which is essential to avoid potential power shortages as soon as 2006.”

Construction of the Mountainview Project was begun by AES, a prior owner, in September, 2001, but later stalled due to continuing market uncertainties in California.
 
Upon closing the purchase, construction of the plant, now 15% complete, will immediately resume.  The project will employ up to 500 local workers during the construction phase and a standard operating crew upon completion.  Mountainview, located in the fastest growing area in SCE’s 11-county service territory – the Inland Empire – will generate 1,054 megawatts of electricity, enough power to serve approximately one million homes.

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An Edison International company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of more than 12 million via 4.5 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within central, coastal and Southern California.