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Long Beach Ship Substation Energized
Ship Substation in Long Beach, Calif., was energized in November.
Walnut Creek
Peaker Plant Fires Up
Walnut Creek Peaker Plant in City of Industry, Calif.
The Long Beach Ship Substation was energized
in November, completing the first phase of its
construction.
The substation is part of an agreement between
Southern California Edison and the Port of Long
Beach to engineer and construct an expanded
energy system at the port. Ship Substation will
eventually provide power for buildings, cranes,
electric vehicle charging stations and ships as cargo
is unloaded, allowing onboard diesel generators
to be turned off and reducing carbon emissions.
“The port electrification project is a 10-year
effort,” said Dalton Cobb, Project Management
Organization project manager. “Ship Substation
is the first step in transforming the port into the
greenest container-moving facility in the county.”
On Dec. 29, Edison Mission
Energy’s Walnut Creek Peaker
Plant in City of Industry, Calif.,
achieved “first fire,” or had natural
gas burned in the turbines for
the first time—a milestone in its
construction.
Following the initial firing, each of
the plant’s five turbines will undergo
a 30- to 60-day commissioning and
testing period before the plant is
ready for commercial operation.
“First fire means we’re a major
step closer to the plant being complete,”
said Kris Kjellman, EME
project manager. “After over a year
of construction, it’s great to see everything
come together to achieve
this significant milestone.”
Interactive Play Teaches Kids
Electrical Safety
In December, Edison International, in partnership
with the National Theater for Children,
presented “A Bug’s Light,” a play about electrical
safety, to Southern Californian elementary school
students in Compton, San Bernardino, Ontario,
Tulare, South Gate and Bell.
The live performances educated students on
how electricity is produced and used. The play also
provided tips on how to identify dangerous situations
and stay safe around electricity, specifically
around downed power lines.
“Southern California Edison wants everyone to
stay safe throughout the year,” said Henry Martinez,
vice president of Safety, Security & Compliance.
“These school children will learn valuable
lessons about electrical safety, which they can take
home and share with their families.”
EME Files for Chapter 11
Bankruptcy Protection
On Dec. 17, Edison Mission Energy
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy,
meaning EME can stay in business, operating
as normal and paying its employees,
while undergoing financial
restructuring.
EME filed for bankruptcy because low
power prices and rising costs of environmental
compliance led to insufficient
cash flow to pay its debts.
The move effectively ends Edison International’s
ownership of EME, which
dates back to 1986. When EME emerges
from Chapter 11, it will be under new
ownership. The bankruptcy filing will
not impact Southern California Edison’s
operations.
“Several of us have long histories with
EME and this is indeed a difficult parting
made necessary by financial conditions,”
said Ted Craver, Edison International
chairman and CEO.
“A Bug’s Light” taught elementary school students
about electrical safety.
PCB Removal Program
Success in 2012
Southern California
Edison established
a program
in 2009 to identify
and remove approximately
6,000 distribution
transformers
suspected of containing
high levels
of polychlorinated
The PCB removal program replaced 91
biphenyl, or PCB, distribution transformers verified to contain
an environmentally high levels of PCB in 2012.
toxic pollutant sometimes
found in transformers manufactured prior
to 1980. In 2012, the program aimed to remove 96
contaminated transformers and achieved a 95 percent
success rate, removing 91 distribution transformers
verified to contain high levels of PCB.
“The program goal is to remove suspect units
before they leak, potentially releasing PCBs, which
results in more costly cleanup efforts than removing
them while intact,” said Mary Zepeda, Corporate
Environmental Services project manager.
In 2013, the program aims to remove 136 contaminated
transformers.
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