Clean Power Alliance’s Board of Directors has approved a 15-year power purchase agreement with Pattern Energy that will provide CPA with 575 megawatts of wind energy.
The wind energy will be generated at the SunZia Wind project site in central New Mexico which is scheduled to begin full construction later this year to allow for the project to achieve commercial operation in 2026.
The wind power from this project will be carried over the SunZia Transmission Line, which will enable the delivery of power from SunZia Wind directly into the California Independent System Operator energy market.
The SunZia Wind project is historic in size. At over 3.5 gigawatts, the project will have capacity about 50 percent greater than Hoover Dam and will produce nearly triple the annual power generation of Hoover. Together with the SunZia Transmission Line, this $8 billion project will be the single largest renewable energy infrastructure project ever constructed in the United States.
CPA will be a primary recipient of energy from the project, contracting for 16 percent of SunZia’s overall capacity.
The agreement with Pattern Energy is the 40th long-term PPA that CPA has secured since starting service to customers in 2018 and is the third PPA to secure out of state renewable resources, while 16 of its PPAs are for projects located within Los Angeles County.
Founded in 2017, Clean Power Alliance is the locally operated not-for-profit electricity provider for 30 cities across Los Angeles County and Ventura County, as well as the unincorporated areas of both counties.
CPA currently serves more than three million residents and businesses in 32 communities and will expand to 35 in March 2024 when the cities of Hermosa Beach, Monrovia, and Santa Paula each begin service.
The American Public Power Association has initiated a new category of membership for community choice aggregation programs.
