BajaNomad

Construction Expected Soon at Sempra's Baja Wind Farm

Gypsy Jan - 5-11-2012 at 11:30 AM

By Julie Gallant Thursday, May 10, 2012

"San Diego-based Sempra Energy expects to begin construction of the 156-megawatt Energia Sierra Juarez wind project in Baja California, Mexico, as early as this year.

Located 70 miles east of San Diego and just south of the U.S.-Mexico border, the 52-turbine wind facility will produce enough clean electricity to power about 65,000 average homes when fully completed in 2014.

Sempra subsidiary San Diego Gas & Electric Co. plans to purchase renewable power supplied from the first phase of the project under a 20-year contract recently approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, said Sempra spokesman Scott Crider. Expanding Energia Sierra Juarez depends on the ability to get additional power contracts, he said. At full build-out, the complex could produce up to 1,200 megawatts of wind power, according to Sempra.

"This project will provide a significant amount of renewable wind power to SDG&E customers in the San Diego area and is an example of the types of renewable resources that have been identified in the region," Matt Burkhart, vice president of electric and fuel procurement for SDG&E, said in a statement.

Sempra subsidiary Sempra Generation is developing the project and is finalizing a joint venture with BP Wind Energy. Both are already co-owners of the 200-megawatt Fowler Ridge II wind farm in Indiana and the 250-megawatt Cedar Creek II wind farm in Colorado as well as wind farms in Kansas and Pennsylvania that are under construction.

Energia Sierra Juarez permits still pending from Mexican agencies, the county of San Diego and the U.S. Department of Energy are expected by mid-2012, Crider said.

Energia Sierra Juarez will connect to the existing California electric grid at SDG&E's proposed ECO substation in eastern San Diego County via a cross-border transmission line."

Blair - 5-11-2012 at 01:05 PM

Thats too bad. It will kill a lot of beautiful untouched country.

Wandering Into Speculation

Gypsy Jan - 5-11-2012 at 01:18 PM

Sempra, of which San Diego Gas and Electric is a subsidiary, is the same company that built, according to some reports, an ultra dangerous LPG port and pipeline next to the Bajamar development. It was reported to be a multi-million dollar and others said billion dollar infrastructure investment.

As of the last report I saw, the Mexican government has shut down that LPG plant and no LPG ever got delivered to any endusers whether in Mexico or the U.S.

Now, why would Sempra, which took such a monetary hit in that project still keep investing? Our amigos who have friends in "high places" say that the government is going to confiscate the land for the wind farms unless Sempra guarantees to deliver 55% of the energy production to Baja.

DENNIS - 5-11-2012 at 01:21 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Gypsy Jan


Construction Expected Soon at Sempra's Baja Wind Farm



A wind farm?? It's already too windy around here. Why do we need more wind?

Taco de Baja - 5-11-2012 at 01:22 PM

When I was passing through the Sierra Juarez at the end of March. There was actually a guard shack and gate at the entrance to the project.The guard stopped us to take down our license plates, names, where we lived and where we were going....Several signs up prominently indicating SEMPRA is a project proponent.

bbbob - 5-11-2012 at 01:39 PM

good one dennis:biggrin:

durrelllrobert - 5-11-2012 at 04:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Blair
Thats too bad. It will kill a lot of beautiful untouched country.
That part has already happened with SDG&E's Sunrise Powerlink
http://regarchive.sdge.com/sunrisepowerlink/

Ateo - 5-11-2012 at 05:11 PM

So the LNG terminal is not operating? Every time I drive by it looks operational. They destroyed a surfing wave to build that place and now it's just sitting there?

As far as that development they were planning at Salsipuedes just south of the plant, who the heck would want to live a stones throw from the possible atomic size blast that could come from the Sempra plant? I don't see that development happening.

I'm for energy production and transmission, just sayin'.
Quote:
Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
Sempra, of which San Diego Gas and Electric is a subsidiary, is the same company that built, according to some reports, an ultra dangerous LPG port and pipeline next to the Bajamar development. It was reported to be a multi-million dollar and others said billion dollar infrastructure investment.

As of the last report I saw, the Mexican government has shut down that LPG plant and no LPG ever got delivered to any endusers whether in Mexico or the U.S.

Now, why would Sempra, which took such a monetary hit in that project still keep investing? Our amigos who have friends in "high places" say that the government is going to confiscate the land for the wind farms unless Sempra guarantees to deliver 55% of the energy production to Baja.