The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR) and South Coast Water District (SCWD) to explore delivering renewable electricity from the Prima Deshecha Landfill to SCWD鈥檚 planned Doheny Ocean Desalination Project – a drought-resilient, locally controlled drinking water supply for South Orange County. The MOU enables a Renewable Energy to Desalination Exploratory Task Force and a Phase 3 workplan to evaluate technology, grid delivery, funding, governance, and schedule. The MOU is non-binding and commits both agencies to due diligence, not to a specific project.听
鈥淣early 90% of South County鈥檚 water comes from imported water supply. If that supply faced interruption due to a natural disaster, the region would only have 10-20 days of potable water supply available,鈥� said Vice Chair Katrina Foley. 鈥淭his partnership allows us to turn excess landfill gas into clean energy to power the Doheny Desalination Plant, addressing two environmental challenges with one solution. It strengthens our local water supply, reduces dependence on imported water, and builds regional resilience during emergencies.鈥�听
鈥淥C Waste & Recycling seeks long-term sustainable County services using all resources available, including landfill gas to renewable energy,鈥� said Tom Koutroulis, Director, OC Waste & Recycling. 鈥淭his unique partnership offers an environmentally responsible path towards creating access to an innovative and resilient local water supply, a worthwhile effort to provide stability for future generations,鈥� he added.听
Under the MOU, OCWR and SCWD will jointly study how electricity generated from landfill gas at Prima Deshecha using modern energy-recovery technology could help power the Doheny facility. The Joint Task Force Report prepared for OCWR identifies multiple power-delivery pathways (including a structured arrangement with SDG&E or a community choice aggregator, Direct Access/ESP procurement, and the Renewable Energy Self-Generation Bill Credit Transfer听program) and indicates that leveraging the mutual benefits of both projects could meet Doheny鈥檚 cost objectives while covering OCWR鈥檚 production costs.听
Customer benefits include:
- Reliability: A local, baseload renewable source can complement Doheny鈥檚 steady operations profile.听
- Cost stability: Life-cycle analysis in the report shows favorable $/kWh ranges for candidate technologies, supporting long-term price stability.听
- Sustainability: Using landfill gas for power is Renewables Portfolio Standards (RPS)-eligible (meets policy that requires electricity providers to procure a minimum percentage of power from renewable energy sources) and reduces flaring, aligning with regional climate goals.听
鈥淭oday鈥檚 approval opens the door for a smart, local pairing with renewable energy from Prima Deshecha supporting local drought-resilient water from the Doheny Project,鈥� said Scott Goldman, President, SCWD Board of Directors. 鈥淥ur focus is reliability and value for customers. Phase 3 will give us concrete options to stabilize power costs, reduce emissions, and deliver 5 MGD of local water supply that South County can count on.听
The Task Force will initiate Phase 3 activities, including verification of capacity needs, technology selection, utility coordination, selection of a transmission/contracting pathway, detailed financial pro-forma, funding strategy, permitting plan, governance, and implementation schedule. Findings will be returned to the SCWD Board of Directors and the Orange County Board of Supervisors for any future approvals.听