News Releases

November 17, 2006

Utility reports progress on several additional renewable energy initiatives

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Nov. 17, 2006 - Southern California Edison (SCE) this week signed and will submit to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) seven new long-term contracts with independent renewable energy power generators.  The agreements secure for utility customers a potential of 324 megawatts (MW) of clean power, the amount needed to serve 190,000 average homes.  The utility also announced it is making significant progress on several other initiatives designed to further strengthen its renewable power portfolio, already the nation’s largest.

"These new contracts help us address two priorities – finding additional generation to meet our customers’ growing energy needs, and securing environmentally-friendly resources,” said SCE Senior Vice President of Power Procurement Pedro Pizarro.  "We congratulate the winning bidders in this, our third major competitive solicitation seeking renewable resources."

SCE currently serves between 16% and 17% of its customers’ needs with renewable energy, and is working toward a goal of having at least 20% of its power deliveries under contract with renewable suppliers. 

Winning Bidders in SCE's Renewable Power Solicitation

"These new agreements are only the first results of a successful 2005 solicitation," said SCE Director of Renewable and Alternative Energy Stuart Hemphill.  "We continue to work with other renewable resource developers on significant, additional renewable energy contracts that we hope to complete in the near future."

“Renewable energy developers face extensive challenges repowering and building new projects to help California reach its impressive clean energy goals,” said Les Gelber, president of Caithness.  “Our constructive partnership with SCE is exactly the type of working relationship needed to meet such challenges.”

In addition to announcing the initial outcome of its 2005 competitive renewable solicitation, SCE reports that its 2006 solicitation has attracted yet another promising set of proposals from wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal providers.  The utility expects soon to begin negotiations with bidders whose proposed projects appear to be the most promising.

While continuing to seek renewable power purchase opportunities, SCE is also pursuing solutions to the state’s need for additional transmission line links to areas of untapped renewable energy.  SCE is seeking authorization from the CPUC to construct a series of new and upgraded high-voltage transmission lines that would deliver electricity from potential new wind farms in the Tehachapi area.   Several such projects are in varying stages of planning and development in the area.  When completed, the Tehachapi renewable transmission project would be capable of delivering 4,500 megawatts of electricity, enough energy to supply almost three million homes.

Related Facts
SCE leads the nation in renewable power delivery, procuring more than 13 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy per year, more than any U.S. utility or state except for California.

SCE’s renewable portfolio can deliver more than 2,700 MW of electricity, including
- 1,021 MW from wind
- 892 MW from geothermal
- 354 MW from solar
- 221 MW from biomass
- 128 MW from SCE-owned small hydro*
- 95 MW from independently owned small hydro.
*Six of the 36 hydroelectric projects SCE operates today have generated power for more than a century.

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An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of more than 13 million via 4.7 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within central, coastal and Southern California.