Scattergood Generating Station Units 1 and 2 Green Hydrogen-Ready Modernization Project

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) proposes to construct and operate a rapid-response combined-cycle generation system (CCGS) at Scattergood Generating Station. The Proposed Project would replace the generation capacity of existing Scattergood Units 1 and 2, which are conventional natural-gas-fired steam-boiler generators that would be removed from service, with a CCGS capable of operating on a fuel mixture of natural gas and a minimum of 30 percent hydrogen by volume. The proposed CCGS would consist of a combustion-turbine generator and a steam-turbine generator operating in tandem. Additional facilities or ancillary functions required to support the proposed CCGS include, but are not limited to, an air-cooled condenser, wet-surface air cooler, gas compressors, switchyard upgrades, and a dedicated pipeline for industrial wastewater discharge. With the implementation of expanded renewable generation resources, improvements to transmission systems, increased energy storage, and other elements of the LADWP carbon-free energy system outlined in the SLTRP, LADWP’s in-basin generation units, including the Proposed Project, are anticipated to be utilized less frequently than under current conditions, primarily to meet peaks in the requirement for electrical power during high demand days that exceed renewable energy production and energy storage capacity. In addition, the CCGS would be used during relatively short-term periods when the renewable generation sources and/or transmission assets become unavailable due to emergency circumstances. Therefore, although anticipated to be operated less frequently, this firm local generation capability is crucial to maintaining the resilience and reliability of the LADWP power system. The necessary infrastructure for the production, delivery, and storage of green hydrogen needed to support the Proposed Project currently does not exist. While it is anticipated that a sufficient market supply of green hydrogen may be available to support the Proposed Project dual-fuel CCGS when it is fully commissioned by the end of 2029, the details of the green hydrogen system are currently unknown. Therefore, this DEIR does not address the supply of green hydrogen to Scattergood Generating Station, which will be analyzed in a separate environmental review and approval process when the necessary information to support an adequate analysis of potential impacts is available. LADWP would not implement or operate this hydrogen infrastructure but would be a purchaser of hydrogen to supply the Proposed Project. Nonetheless, because the combustion-turbine generator component of the proposed CCGS would be capable of operating on a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen fuel, the impacts related to the combustion of such a fuel mixture are analyzed in this DEIR. Construction of the Proposed Project is anticipated to begin in 2026 and the CCGS would be fully operational by the end of 2029.