Southern California Edison Power Plant, Santa Catalina Island

Southern California Edison Power Plant, Santa Catalina Island serves the island using six diesel generators and 23 propane-powered microturbines. That power, using three distribution circuits, serves the entire island. Diesel fuel is shipped over from the mainland on a barge.

Southern California Edison supplies electricity, gas, and water on the island.

In the News~

January 14, 2023 [Daily Energy Insider]: “Seeking potential commercial energy solutions, Southern California Edison (SCE) announced a competitive Request for Offers (RFO) this week surrounding its 2022 Catalina Island Clean Energy project. With a deadline of May 1, 2023, SCE urged those interested to put forth various ideas, from renewable resources and energy storage to demand response and energy efficiency options. This would come with a firm demand, though: all incremental resources accepted from this would need to be brought online no later than 2027.

Catalina holds 4,100 residents, along with commercial and industrial interests. The local grid has been supplied through diesel generators since the 1920s, the fuel for which must be shipped in from the mainland. SCE runs that power and views the situation as ready for a change. As such, this RFO will be part of a larger Catalina Island Repower Project, as well as SCE’s own long-term clean energy strategy, which calls for carbon neutrality by 2045.”