Catalina Island Repower Project

Southern California Edison provides electric service to Catalina Island and its 4,100 residents, its commercial and industrial customers and its 1 million annual visitors. Since the 1920s, power for the island’s electrical grid has been supplied by diesel generators, with fuel barged in from the mainland.

Five of the six current diesel generators do not meet South Coast Air Quality Management District’s 2018 emissions standards and must be replaced within the next two to three years. This provides SCE with an opportunity to repower the island while improving air quality by at least 63% and increasing the use of renewable energy on the island.

Catalina Island Repower Feasibility Study

To provide a quantitative analysis of approaches to repower the island, SCE commissioned “Santa Catalina Island Repower Feasibility Study,” a detailed technical and economic analysis, authored by consulting group NV5 in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The analysis uses a techno-economic model to assess the leading repower options (fossil fuel generation, renewable energy, and undersea cable) and provide actionable information, including cost, schedule, and benefits and challenges of each option.

Next Steps

The next steps in repowering Catalina will be for SCE to consider the report findings, select a viable option, and begin the public permitting process before the South Coast Air Quality Management District. That filing is expected this year. SCE will also be reaching out to Catalina stakeholders and providing opportunities for residents to learn more about the study.