The Final 2013 Power Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) was presented to the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition (LANNC) on Saturday, January 4 at the DWP Facility in Los Angeles. By Aram Benyamin.

According to the LADWP, the Final 2013 IRP is a map to guide this power transformation over the next 20 years and is supposed to balance the following key objectives: superior reliability and supply of electric service, competitive electric rates consistent with sound business principles and responsible environmental stewardship exceeding all regulatory obligations.

However, the DWP say they face a number of challenges and critical issues that are driving the power supply transformation. Many of them are mandates with fixed deadline dates that converge over the next decade. Other critical issues and challenges, such as rebuilding infrastructure are necessary to ensure future reliability of electric service to customers. These challenges include but are not limited to:

• Hiring and training a skilled work force to implement the programs described 2013 IRP while dealing with the following issues an concerns:
• Exodus of retiring workers 1,200 to 1,700 by 2023
• Knowledge transfer of 37,400 years of experience
• Workforce gaps – 416 current unfilled positions
• Filling some positions can take 6 years or longer
• Future workforce requiring new skills, capabilities and expertise to implement the
• Mandated and reliability programs of the IRP
• Addressing the critical need to replace and/or upgrade again infrastructure, including the distribution, transmission, substations, and generation infrastructure. Also reducing the number and duration of outrages. They also need to integrate new variable renewable energy resources such as wind and solar power. Efforts are underway to expand on the existing Power Reliability Program. They are developing a new Power System Reliability Program to incorporate distribution, generation transmission and substation with a new prioritization model to improve system reliability.
• They have made significant investments in newly created and redesigned energy efficiency program offerings to achieve a goal of 10% less customer usage by 2020, with a target of up to 15% pending the results a new potential study to be completed this March.
• They have a strict timeline for modernizing their coastal generating units to replace over-aged equipment. Also to reconfigure the units to be more fuel efficient, better integrate intermittent renewable energy and satisfy OC regulatory requirements under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Water Act Section 316(b).
• SB 2(1X) requires 33 percent renewable resources by 2020 with interim target of 25 percent by 2016 and ramp up 2 percent each year to reach 33 percent by 2020. They met the first RPS goal of 20 percent in 2010, The 2013 IRP lays out the strategy, and timing and cost for meeting the upcoming RPS targets and includes several local
  distributed solar options for consideration.
• Under SB 1368, the California Greenhouse Gas Emissions Performance Standard Act, the LADWP will stop importing power from two coal-fired power plants when current operational and energy purchase contracts expire-Navajo Generating Station in Arizona by 2019 and Intermountain Power Project (IPP) in Utah by 2027. The DWP’s strategy is to pursue early replacement of its coal-fired generation and several alternative scenarios are analyzed in the 3012 IRP.

IHRP includes the formation of a Workforce Development Task Force utilizing cooperative joint labor-management committee process. The updated 2013 Report, which is an up date of the 2012, does not appear to be on line yet. However you can see the 2012 Report on line at www.lad- wp.com and you can click on Energy Report. A hard copy of the 2013 report should be available at your local library.