Overview
- The DWP board voted 3-0 to certify the final environmental report and advance an $800 million modernization of Units 1 and 2 at the Scattergood Generating Station.
- The project will install new combined-cycle turbines designed to burn natural gas with a hydrogen blend and ultimately transition to green hydrogen, though no supply source or delivery route has been identified.
- The conversion was expected to receive about $100 million from California’s ARCHES hydrogen hub, which lost its federal award when the Trump administration canceled $1.2 billion in funding on Oct. 1.
- LADWP says the project remains fully budgeted through the utility’s power fund despite the loss of federal support, positioning the plant to run as a flexible local resource during peak demand.
- Opponents warn the plan could lock in methane use and add NOx pollution and water demands, while utility studies, including NREL analyses, point to few viable alternatives at the coastal site before the December 2029 deadline.