Business

Victor Valley Power Plants Generate Energy and National Recognition

The High Desert Power Project was recently constructed at Southern California Logistics Airport.

With one model project already up and running and a second‚ state-of-the-art facility waiting in the wings‚ Victor Valley is earning a reputation for cutting-edge‚ environmentally friendly power plant technology.

Already online at Southern California Logistics Airport‚ the electric power-producing High Desert Power Project is the first major power plant constructed in Southern California since the 1980s. A second‚ “hybrid” plant combining solar- and natural-gas power – dubbed Victorville 2 or VV2 – now is in the permitting phase‚ planned for northeast of the airport. When completed‚ VV2 will be the first of its kind in the United States and the world’s largest solar hybrid plant.

Newport Beach-based Inland Energy played a key role in the development of both projects. For HDPP‚ Inland was the originator; for VV2‚ Inland has been retained by the city of Victorville to manage the development effort.

“Victorville’s willingness to welcome new industry was a key factor in the decision to locate these important‚ large-scale power plants in the Victor Valley‚” says Tom Barnett‚ project manager for HDPP.

“In a classic win-win outcome‚ these plants will ensure that there is plenty of low-cost energy available for businesses that the city hopes to attract to its economic development areas.”

HDPP is an 830-megawatt‚ natural-gas-fired‚ combined-cycle plant able to provide power for 800‚000 residential consumers at one time. Ninety-five percent of the power generated stays in California‚ and HDPP’s electric-generating technology is based on clean-burning combustion turbines operating in a combined-cycle mode. Three of the four generators are powered by natural gas; one generator uses a steam turbine to produce power.

This is the most energy-efficient and least environmentally damaging technology currently available for fossil fuel power plants of this size‚ according to Tona Penna‚ manager of Inland’s Victorville office.

The High Desert Power Project is also producing more than power. Because it’s in a redevelopment area‚ the plant generates an additional $4 million annually in incremental tax revenues for the Southern California Logistics Airport‚ according to SCLA director Peter Soderquist.

“Because it’s in a redevelopment area‚ there is a combination of the impact of having a large industrial project – which is a commodity for the immediate growth of California – and the tax increment that will‚ in turn‚ be used to help create jobs‚” says Buck Johns‚ Inland Energy president.

As part of its international competition‚ Platts’ Power magazine named HDPP as the 2003 Power Plant of the Year‚ primarily due to its innovative design and the ability of its developer to break new ground in the power-generation field.

Next up is VV2‚ which Inland projects to be a 570-megawatt solar- and gas-fired hybrid power plant. Now in the planning and permitting phase‚ Victorville 2 will encompass roughly 300 acres of land‚ including approximately 250 acres of solar-thermal collectors.

Fifty megawatts of Victorville 2’s total output will be generated from solar energy. A perfect fit for the consistent sunshine of the High Desert‚ solar will be particularly beneficial during maximum use times.

“During the middle of the day‚ when electricity use is at its peak‚ the contribution from the solar panel field is also at its peak‚ collecting the sun’s energy to meet the needs of consumers‚” says Tony Penna‚ Inland vice president.

The majority of VV2’s power will be generated by a highly efficient‚ natural-gas-fired combined cycle process – much like the existing HDPP.

Story by Michelle Lovato
Photo by Wes Aldridge

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