BALTIMORE, Oct. 5, 2000—Constellation Power Source will build one of California's first major power plants in more than a decade.

The High Desert Power Project, a $350 million, 750-megawatt power plant will be built at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Southern California's Victor Valley.

"The High Desert Power Project represents an important step in meeting California's critical energy needs," said Constellation Power Source president Charles W. Shivery.

"Leading up to this summer there was a growing gap between electric generation supply and consumer demand in California where consumption of electricity has increased more than 22 percent in the past eight years, and in-state power generation has remained nearly flat at under 4 percent."

Shivery said the High Desert plant will generate enough electricity to serve 500,000 people, and is designed to use one-third less fuel and significantly reduce air emissions compared to power plants currently operating in the Los Angeles Basin.

The plant's three gas turbines will burn clean natural gas using state-of-the-art emission controls. Their exhaust heat will, in turn, be harnessed to power a steam turbine. Selective catalytic reduction will be used for nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission control.

The decision to build High Desert caps a five-year development and permitting process under which High Desert officials worked closely with state and local officials and earned unanimous plant approval of the California Energy Commission.

"This has been a long and thorough process," said High Desert project manager Thomas M. Barnett.

"This plant is great news for the residents of Victor Valley and for the state of California. It will bring a lot of benefits, from added tax revenues to a clean and efficient energy source in a state where additional energy sources are needed."

Groundbreaking is expected to begin early next year, and the plant is scheduled to begin commercial operation in time for the high electric demand season in the summer of 2003.