After nearly three years and some substantial changes in itsnatural gas supply flexibility, the backers of the proposed HighDesert Power Plant about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles pulledtogether final air emission mitigation and water deals last weekthat they think will get them final state approval for their plantby spring. The final steps were taken as the project won alast-minute reprieve from a preliminary recommendation that theCalifornia Energy Commission (CEC) reject the proposal, which wasthe first of what are now more than two dozen merchant power plantproposals pending.

“The High Desert (two-member) committee filed a proposeddecision in December recommending that the project not beapproved,” said the CEC’s Roger Johnson, siting program manager.”The applicant subsequently has filed more information and there isa hearing later this month (Feb. 18). Whether the committee willchange its recommendation is unknown.”

The joint venture sponsors of the project – a Baltimore Gas andElectric affiliate, Constellation Power Development and NewportBeach, CA-based Inland Energy – think there should be no doubt theproject will get the go-ahead by the end of March and become thefourth merchant power plant to gain state approval. Construction onthe $400 million, 700-megawatt combined-cycle gas-fired plant wouldbegin in the summer.

Despite being the first one in California out of the box with aformal application before the state authorities in 1997, HighDesert subsequently agreed to have the project delayed for anundetermined amount of time because it wanted to make substantialchanges in its fuel supply infrastructure. It added a 30-mile,24-inch-diameter pipeline to be built north of the plant to connectwith both Kern/Mojave and PG&E Interstate Transmissionpipelines. Along with connections to a nearby Southern CaliforniaGas transmission pipeline south of the plant, this gives theproject more fuel flexibility than any of the other proposedmerchant plants in the state.

Welch said High Desert has an agreement with the local gasdistributor in the area, Southwest Gas Corp., to build and operatethe two natural gas supply pipelines, and after the plant isapproved and under construction, the joint venture will beginshopping for gas supplies, presumably through a part ofConstellation. The plant will use in the range of 100 to 120MMcf/d.

Richard Nemec, Los Angeles

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