The Magnolia Power Project (MPP) will apply for certification to the California Energy Commission to begin the state licensing process for a 240mw electric generating unit to be constructed at Burbank Water and Power’s (BWP) existing generating station complex in Burbank. Municipal utilities serving the cities of Anaheim, Colton, Glendale and Pasadena already have joined Burbank in proposing an accelerated six-month licensing process being sponsored by the Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA), said Ronald E. Davis, BWP general manager and MPP co-ordinating committee chair. âThe cities are proposing to construct a clean-burning, natural gas-fuelled generating unit by mid-2004 to provide participants a reliable, long-term electricity resource,â? he said. Davis emphasised that MPP operation will further improve local area electric reliability since it will dramatically increase the amount of generation that is not dependent on long-distance interstate transmission lines. MPP plans call for siting a high-efficiency, combined-cycle generating unit on three acres of the existing BWP generating station site near the Magnolia Boulevard side of the property, located in Burbank. In about 12 months, decommissioned generation structures on the site will be removed prior to installation of a combustion turbine-generator, heat-recovery steam generator and exhaust stack over a 30-month period. Also constructed will be a turbine-generator building, cooling tower, and control and administrative buildings. The total project cost is estimated to be USD 200 million range, with annual operation costs from USD 8 million to USD 10 million, plus natural gas fuel costs. Due to the unit’s high efficiency, MPP is expected to generate electricity competitively at all natural gas market price levels.
