Dive Summary:

• San Diego Gas & Electric Co. (SDG&E) is reviving plans to build a 300 megawatt (MW) natural gas plant to counteract the closing of the 2,200MW San Onofre nuclear plant, which provided SDG&E 20% of its electricity.
• In March, the California Public Utilities Commission rejected SDG&E’s gas plant proposal amidst pleas from environmentalists that the plant was unnecessary. But four days after San Onofre closed for good, the utility renewed the gas plant’s bid.
• But with SDG&E announcing it had enough power to meet peak summer demand and with the 117-mile Sempra Energy transmission line bringing up to 1,200 megawatts to San Diego, opponents say the facts aren’t there to justify a new plant.

From the article:
“The California Independent System Operator, which operates the state grid, predicted last month that summer consumption would increase 2.3 percent from last year but that additional generation would allow utilities to meet demand — even without San Onofre. SDG&E officials pleaded with consumers Tuesday to conserve energy this summer…”