DG Power has proposed building a 200-500 megawatt plant on a 23-acre site along Cordelia Road in Fairfield

August 18, 2007

Power plant proposal electrifies city

By Ben Antonius



FAIRFIELD - One power plant on Cordelia Road could get another as a neighbor under a new proposal.

Incline Village, Nev.-based DG Power has proposed building a 200-500 megawatt plant on a 23-acre site along Cordelia Road between Beck Avenue and Chadbourne Road.

"It's huge," said Councilman Frank Kardos, referring to the financial implications of the deal. "We're looking at tough times ahead and you either cut services, raise taxes or raise revenue through growth, which is what we're doing here. We need to do this like yesterday."

The Fairfield City Council on Tuesday will review a contract that would give DG Power an exclusive option to lease the land. The company needs to have that deal in hand before it can apply with PG&E and launch the legally-required environmental studies.

"It has got to go through quite a bit of process still," said Community Development Director Sean Quinn. "First with PG&E and second the state permitting process, which is a 18 to 24 month process."

If built, the project could bring as much as $1 million annually to the city through its lease. That would go a long way to resolving a multi-million dollar deficit the city is projecting through the end of the decade.

The project would be a so-called "peaker plant," which means it would only be operated at times of particularly high demand. Like most peaker plants, it would consist of natural gas-fired turbines to produce power.

Quinn and Public Works Director Gene Cortright wrote in a report to the council that the site is "ideal for a power plant as it is adjacent to a high pressure gas line, near a source of reclaimed water and overhead electrical lines."

Under the proposal, DG Power would also consider purchasing 6 acres of city-owned land on Red Top Road for an electrical switching station. That site is located in the triangle-shaped area bounded by Red Top Road, Highway 12 and Interstate 80.

Reach Ben Antonius at 427-6977 or bantonius@dailyrepublic.net.