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Lake Oroville’s Depleted Water Levels May Force Power Plant to Shut Down for the First Time Ever

/in , , /by /SF Gateby Amanda Bartlette

Water lines on the banks of Lake Oroville in Butte County have depleted so rapidly that the reservoir’s hydroelectric power plant may have to shut down for the first time ever, straining an already encumbered power grid during the hottest part of the summer, California officials announced Thursday.

Since 1967, the Edward Hyatt Power Plant has been a crucial source of electricity for the area and usually has the capacity to power up to 800,000 homes, pumping water from the lake through its underground facilities, according to CNN. However, water levels are currently approaching 700 feet, exacerbated by a severe drought and triple-digit temperatures.

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In Boost for Renewables, Grid-Scale Battery Storage Is on the Rise

/in , /by /Yale Environment 360by Cheryl Katz

The twin smokestacks of the Moss Landing Power Plant tower over Monterey Bay. Visible for miles along this picturesque stretch of the Northern California coast, the 500-foot-tall pillars crown what was once California’s largest electric power station — a behemoth natural gas-fired generator. Today, as California steadily moves to decarbonize its economy, those stacks are idle and the plant is largely mothballed.

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Report: Potable Water System Likely Cause of Sewage Spill in March at San Onofre Nuclear Plant

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union Tribuneby Rob Nikolewski

A large influx from the potable water system into the sewage treatment plant on the grounds of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is the likely reason as much as 7,000 gallons of non-radiological wastewater were released into the ocean in late March.

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