Chamber Testifies Before State Energy Commission
Members Chamber Endorses RPU Projects

by Laura L. Klure
Feature Writer
Riverside Chamber of Commerce, June 2004

A contingent from the Riverside Chamber recently testified in front of two commissioners from the California Energy Commission. Jeff Kraus (Economic Development Committee Chair), Craig Lambdin (Arlington Division President), Debbi Guthrie (Greater Board Member) and Chamber President Cindy Roth were among the six people who testified regarding the new Riverside Public Utilities Power Plant. The Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce has endorsed both the building of another “peaker plant” and the upgrade of electrical infrastructure in Downtown Riverside.

Deputy Public Utilities Director Dave Wright told the Chamber’s Economic Development Committee (EDC) about the funding and uses of the new 96-megawatt plant, called the Riverside Energy Resource Center (RERC). The RERC will be built near the intersection of Van Buren Boulevard and Jurupa Avenue, near the Santa Ana River Wastewater Treatment Plant. The RERC will use clean-burning natural gas generators, and it will be operated to provide RPU customers with economic and reliable power.

RPU is issuing bonds to pay for the $75-million plant. Utility revenues will repay the bonds, with monies that would otherwise have gone to pay for energy contracts with other utilities. Wright said no general fund expense is involved.

Wright said the RERC peaker plant will give Riverside more independence and more reliable electric service, especially during hot weather when the demand for power is high. Peak usage during the summer occurs between about 2-4 p.m., whereas in the winter the highest consumption rate is around 7 p.m., after people come home from work.

“What you plan for is the psychology of use by humans,” Wright said, noting that during a heat wave the fourth day in a row results in the most use of electricity.
“ We have to plan for the hottest hour of the hottest day,” he said. Peak consumption observed in Riverside is more than 500 megawatts in one hour. The first RPU peaker plant was constructed after the 2001 energy shortage, and it is online at the Springs Substation, in the Sycamore Canyon area.

Diversification of power sources is RPU’s primary strategy to achieve reliability, Wright indicated. Riverside’s power comes from a coal-burning generation plant in Utah, hydroelectric plants (especially Hoover Dam), nuclear generation, purchases from other utilities, local gas-burning plants, and small contributions from green power sources.

The new plant will generate more than enough power to supply hospitals, police, and other essential emergency services, in case the state power grid is off-line.
About 2/3 of RPU’s power is used by businesses. The utility’s efforts to assure a reliable supply were praised by Chuck Chandler and other Chamber members, and the RERC peaker plant was endorsed unanimously by the EDC.

DOWNTOWN POWER UPGRADES
Work has started on RPU’s $8-million Downtown Power Upgrade Project (DPUP). DPUP will replace antiquated electrical equipment, which is 50-75 years old in some parts of Downtown Riverside. The replacements began at RCC during spring break, and much of the future work will be done at night, when businesses are closed.
Wright said the upgrades are essential for Riverside’s prosperity and use of high-tech equipment. “Without this, there couldn’t be a lot of expansion in Downtown,” he stated.

The new equipment and cables will increase the capacity from 4 kilovolts to 12 kilovolts, which is now the industry standard. “This will be a much more efficient system, with fewer power losses,” Wright said.

The new above-ground connection units will also be more accessible for repairs, and will be readily serviced by one technician. The system will be designed to serve needs projected for the next 20 years.

BUSINESSES TO BE NOTIFIED
DPUP project updates will be posted on the RPU web site: www.riversidepublicutilities.com, and representatives will contact Downtown business customers that may be affected by the construction work. The utility assures customers that the disruption to traffic, business, or electrical service will be minimal. RPU is trying hard to make the conversions in as short a time as is possible.

Most of the work will take place between Fourteenth Street and First Street, from the 91 Freeway to Brockton Avenue. The project will progress in stages, with completion about a year in the future.

The DPUP project has been endorsed by the EDC, the Downtown Division, and the Greater Riverside Chambers board. Downtowners with specific questions or concerns can contact John Sevey at (909) 826-5850, or at jsevey@riversideca.gov.

Chamber President Cindy Roth commended RPU for its excellent service to the community, and for representing the interests of Riversiders in negotiations with the federal government and the state.