Southern California Edison

Southern California Edison, the largest subsidiary of Edison International (NYSE: EIX), is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California. It provides 11 million people with electricity. However, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, San Diego Gas & Electric, Imperial Irrigation District and some smaller municipal utilities take substantial chunks out of its territory. The northern part of the state is generally served by the Pacific Gas & Electric Company of San Francisco.

Southern California Edison (SCE) still owns all of its electrical transmission facilities and equipment, but the deregulation of California's electricity market forced the company to sell many of its power plants, though some were probably sold by choice. In California, SCE only retained its hydroelectric plants, totaling about 1,200 MW, and its 75% share of the 2,150-MW San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The utility lost all of its natural gas-fired plants, which provided most of its electrical generation. The large, aging plants were bought by out-of-state companies such as Mirant and Reliant Energy, which allegedly used them to manipulate the California energy market. However, SCE still owns about half of the 1,580-MW coal-fired Mohave Generating Station in Laughlin, Nevada, which supplied electricity to California, Nevada and Arizona. The Mohave Generating Station closed in December 2005, amid concerns regarding water rights and coal supply.

Southern California Edison's power grid is linked to PG&E's by the Path 26 wires that generally follow I-5 over Tejon Pass. The interconnection takes place at a massive substation at Buttonwillow. PG&E's and WAPA's Path 15 and Path 66, respectively, from Buttonwillow north eventually connect to BPA's grid in the Pacific Northwest. There are several other interconnections with local and out-of-state utilities.

Diversity

Southern California Edison has entered into a contract with Stirling Energy Systems to buy electricity from a 500 megawatt, 4,600-acre (19 km²), solar power plant which is due to open in 2009. [1] [2]This will be the first commercial application of the Stirling Solar Dish. A different technology from the more familiar solar panel, the dish concentrates solar energy by the use of reflective surfaces and by the use of the Stirling heat engine to convert the heat into electricity.[3]

Southern California Edison received a 100% rating on the Corporate Equality Index released by the Human Rights Campaign starting in 2004, the third year of the report.

External links

• Southern California Edison