The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power no longer receives coal fuel from a Utah facility, which had supplied the last remaining source of such energy to the second-largest city in the nation — a move Mayor Karen Bass described Thursday as a “historic milestone” as the city transitions to 100% clean power by 2035.
As of last week, DWP stopped receiving coal-fueled energy from the Intermountain Power Project in Utah. That move follows a 2016 decision to divest from the Navajo Generating Station, which together finalizes a long-standing promise to eliminate coal from L.A.’s energy portfolio, according to the Mayor’s Office.
“This is a defining moment for the city of Los Angeles,” Bass said in a statement.
The mayor conducted a news conference Thursday morning to tout the accomplishment alongside Councilman Adrin Nazarian, who serves as the chair of the council’s Energy and Environment Committee, and other dignitaries.
“L.A.’s coal divestment is not just about discontinuing the use of coal to power our city — it’s about building a clean energy economy that benefits every Angeleno,” Bass added. ” With major investments in solar, wind, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, record amounts of stormwater captured and bold initiatives in place to reduce carbon emissions citywide, we are taking action to build a cleaner, greener city that will benefit Angelenos for generations to come.”
The department now utilizes energy from hydrogen-capable generation units that were recently constructed at the Utah facility, part of a modernization project known as IPP Renewed. These new units run on natural gas and are capable of running on a blend of natural gas and up to 30% green hydrogen. There are plans to eventually transition to 100% green hydrogen as a fuel source in the future.
Green hydrogen is expected to be added to the fuel mix in 2026. Green hydrogen is a type of hydrogen produced through the electrolysis of water using renewable electricity compared to traditional hydrogen production methods that rely on fossil fuels, according to the Green Hydrogen Coalition, an educational nonprofit.
Nazarian called the decision a “victory for the city.”
“We, the people of Los Angeles, are able to strike this blow against climate change because we don’t depend on a corporate utility for our electricity,” Nazarian said in a statement. “We own our power. And that’s why Los Angeles will continue to lead our country and the world on the march to 100% clean energy.”
DWP CEO and Chief Engineer Janisse Quinones noted the transition away from coal-fuel was years in the making. She added, “It reflects the hard work of our employees, the support of our customers, and the leadership of our elected officials. Together, we are building a cleaner, more resilient energy future for Los Angeles.”
In the summer, city officials celebrated the completion of the Eland Solar-plus-Storage Center, one of the largest solar and battery storage projects in the country, which is able to supply enough energy to power more than 260,000 city households. The project helped DWP surpass its goal of producing 60% clean energy this year.
Evan Gillespie, a partner of Industrious Labs, a nongovernmental organization advocating for the modernization and clean up of heavy industry through research and analysis, hailed the city’s achievement.
“At a moment when so much we cherish is under attack in the city, the transition away from coal to clean energy is a beacon of hope and a model for the country,” Gillespie said in a statement.