Steel T. Rexes hovering over Southern California’s finest beaches. That’s how one writer described places like Scattergood Generating Station. This facility stands as a coastal landmark in Playa Del Rey. It’s near El Segundo and LAX. The Scattergood Generating Station is an 830 MW capacity plant. It uses three steam turbine units. LADWP owns and operates it.
Let’s step back in time to the late 1950s. Construction began on this 56-acre site. The power plant cost 65 million dollars. It was named after Ezra F. Scattergood. He was the first chief electrical engineer of the Los Angeles municipal power system. Units 1 and 2 came online in 1958 and 1959. Unit 3 followed in 1974. It had a potential 460 MW output.
Picture this: Circa 1964, only six staffers could operate the entire plant. Unit 3 was projected to cost an additional 68 million dollars as of 1971. But, it would provide power for 10 percent of the city. The Department of Water and Power replaced the original Unit 3 between 2013 and 2015. It now uses a highly efficient combined cycle turbine. This uses natural gas and steam plus two simple cycle turbines.
Now, Scattergood Generating Station cycles through 500 million gallons of seawater daily. This water acts as a coolant. It cools freshwater that turns into steam. The steam turns the turbines, generating electricity. The seawater is released back into the ocean. It is about 20 degrees Fahrenheit cooler.
Did you know waste gas from the Hyperion sewage treatment plant fueled Scattergood in the 1960s? The plant’s electricity production was considered extremely stable circa 1977. Output is transmitted through an intertie line.
Fast forward to February 2023. The LA City Council approved an 800 million dollar plan. This aims to convert the Scattergood Generating Station from natural gas to hydrogen. The refitted plant will provide base load power. This is especially important during high demand or emergencies. It’s part of city plans to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2035.
In an unusual incident in 1996, a scuba diver was sucked into the plant’s intake pipe. He was looking for lobsters at night. Fortunately, steel bars prevented any harm.
Scattergood Generating Station has a history of adaptation. The oldest units, built in the 1950s, took 12 hours to fully turn on. The newer units from 2015 are cleaner and turn on in just 10 minutes. Decades ago, this plant ran constantly. Now, with more solar and wind energy, it serves mainly as a backup during heatwaves.
The plan is to heat up hydrogen instead of methane gas to create electricity. The hydrogen will be green, created by clean sources like wind and solar energy. The city hopes to complete phase one of the project by 2029. The plant will continue burning gas for several years after that. The ultimate goal is to use 100% renewable energy by 2035. This is the future of Scattergood Generating Station. A commitment to cleaner energy for Los Angeles.