Title: Calpine Project Sheet
1- Metcalf is capable of
- providing
- 600 megawatts
- power for 600,000 households, or
- power for 2,850,000 personal computers, or
- power for 8,000,000 75-watt light bulbs
- Construction
- required
- 700 workers
- 2,000 tons of steel
Powering Silicon Valley San Jose-based Calpine
Corporation is committed to helping meet
Californias energy needs. Clean, reliable and
cost-effective energy solutions are needed to
sustain the states economy and lifestyles.
Calpine is developing these solutions for
California, like the Metcalf Energy Center the
largest addition of electric generating capacity
in the history of the energy-deficient Silicon
Valley. Employing highly fuel efficient and
environmentally responsible combined-cycle
technology, the 600-megawatt Metcalf Energy
Center requires up to 30 percent less natural gas
than comparable power plants operating today. As
a result, the Metcalf Energy Center will help to
replace Californias aging and environmentally-obj
ectionable power plants. Moreover, by virtue of
emission reduction credits, operation of the
Metcalf Energy Center results in a net
improvement in Bay Area air quality. Electrical
output from the facility is capable of providing
for the power needs of 600,000 area homes and the
facilitys location within the Silicon Valley
load center helps insulate residents and
businesses from the costly disruption and
inconvenience of inadequate electrical
supplies. Advanced Design Metcalf produces
electricity using state-of-the-art
combined-cycle technology, integrating two
combustion turbines and a single steam turbine.
Each combustion turbine is fueled by natural gas
and works similar to a jet engine to drive an
electric generator. Heat from the combustion
turbines is captured and recycled in a separate
process to create steam, which in turn drives the
steam turbine. This combined-cycle process
results in a significantly more fuel efficient
and dramatically cleaner energy center that
directly benefits Silicon Valley and helps
preserve the environment. The Metcalf Energy
Center also minimizes fresh water usage. Recycled
wastewater is used for plant cooling purposes.
This allows for the commercial use of a
wastewater stream that would otherwise be
discharged into the San Francisco Bay without
providing any useful or beneficial application.
The use of recycled water has a significant
benefit to the south San Francisco Bay waters, as
well. The water district is being ordered to
reduce discharges into the Bay, and Metcalf will
eliminate several million gallons per day of
discharge.
2Higher Efficiency and Environmental
Standards Metcalf also helps address Silicon
Valleys energy challenges. The California ISO
has stated the Bay Area, in particular the San
Jose area, is among the most generation deficient
areas in the state and that Metcalf will
provide substantial reliability benefits. In
fact, of the estimated 2,200 megawatts that are
needed to meet peak power demand in the San Jose
area, less than a third are generated locally.
Metcalf specifically addresses this imbalance and
reduces the vulnerability of the San Jose and
Silicon Valley electrical system. The Site The
project site is separated from urban San Jose by
Tulare Hill. A PGE Substation is located
approximately ¼ mile northeast of the site, and
five PGE transmission lines connect into the
substation across Tulare Hill, just north of the
site. Development of a power plant in the area is
consistent with the existing utility
infrastructure and Metcalf is designed and
landscaped to be consistent with the planned
campus industrial area. Calpines Track Record
in California Calpine has made an unprecedented
investment in Californias energy infrastructure
through the construction and operation of the
States newest, cleanest, and most fuel efficient
fleet of power projects. Metcalf is one of two
Calpine natural gas-fueled power plants that
on-line in California this summer. Calpines
Pastoria Energy Center began operating in May,
supplying 750 megawatts to Southern California
Edisons transmission system. Together, the
projects will increase Calpines California
project portfolio to 41 power plants and more
than 5,250 megawatts. Taken as a whole,
Calpines projects produce enough electricity to
satisfy the power needs of more than five million
California households. About Calpine Calpine
Corporation is a North American power company
dedicated to providing electric power to
customers from clean, efficient, natural
gas-fired and geothermal power plants. The
company generates power at plants it owns or
leases in 21 states in the United States, and
three provinces in Canada. The company is
included in the SP 500. Calpine was founded in
1984 and is publicly traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol CPN. For more
information, visit www.calpine.com.
50 West San Fernando Street San Jose, CA 95113
1-800-359-5115 www.calpine.com