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Tomatoes go through the Del Monte processing plant in this file photo from 2015. The projected harvested acreage of tomatoes grown under contract in 2022 is 224,000 acres, which is 1% lower than in 2021.
Tomatoes go through the Del Monte processing plant in this file photo from 2015. The projected harvested acreage of tomatoes grown under contract in 2022 is 224,000 acres, which is 1% lower than in 2021.
Two Kings fossil fueled power plants have been thought of as relics of the past.
The natural gas fired 100MW plants located across from NAS Lemoore and the Hanford Industrial Park may be old news but they turn out to be good news for residents suffering through this week’s continuing days of 110 degree extreme heat that does not let up at night.
NWS weathermen say they expect night time temps in Hanford to be 10 degrees or more warmer than average. Solar works great during day hours but when you come home from work and crank up the AC where is the power going to come from?
That’s where the local power plants come in, now owned by Chicago-based Middle River who supply power under contract to PG&E and the state system operator.
“The plants can operate any time but we find they are needed most not just in the summer months but in the winter when there is less sunlight," said CEO Mark Kubow.
In an effort to extend the useful supply of power, Middle River plans to add one-hour battery storage to the Henrietta power plant that will allow the plant to supply that one hour without turning on the plant - so power is sent to grid with with no emissions - a key goal of regulators.
Anyone who has traveled the Avenal Cutoff has seen this plant surrounded now by solar panels.
At their Hanford plant, they will add 42 MW of battery storage, says Kubow, to go on line by 2024.
That will increase the power that can be supplied by the two Kings County plants to 242 MW - or enough to supply the electric power needs of 200,000 homes, he says. There are about 47,000 houses in Kings County.
Middle River does the same for other parts of California with 10 plants in their portfolio in the state.
State power officials have changed their tune about gas fired power recently emphasizing the need to allow theses fossil fuel facilities to meet power needs not met by solar, wind or hydro power in part due to extreme weather events like we are seeing in California this week. Another factor - renewables are not coming on line as fast as they had estimated due to supply bottlenecks.
Among the assets the state is taking a second look at is Diablo nuclear power plant. Diablo Canyon generates around 200MW of power day and night.
A bill to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open past 2025 passed last week. The plant would close in 2029 instead of 2025. To meet a deadline, PG&E must submit an application for federal funding in September.
Lemoore City Manager Nate Olson says the city is negotiating for serval new developments to locate in town but the projects are hampered by PG&E’s lack of available capacity to power the new developments that could bring more jobs to town.
”We are talking to PG&E now to try to work something out but there are are few alternatives,” he said.
PG&E plans to install a new remote solar micro-grid at the Whitaker’s Forest Research Station within Whitaker’s Forest. Whitaker’s Forest is an approximately 350-acre forest plot bordering both the national forest and national park. The place is owned and managed by the University in Tulare County.
Once installed, solar would provide existing residential structures on-site with a consistent and reliable source of electricity that would replace the need for the existing overhead electric distribution lines. It consists of a 12-panel solar array mounted on the roof of a new shipping container and battery storage.
The Project is part of PG&E's Remote Grids Pilot Program, a program within PG&E's Community Wildfire Safety Program.
USDA says contracted production for California processing tomatoes this year is forecast at 10.5 million tons, averaging 46.9 tons per acre. The current production forecast is 2% below last year’s contracted production, and 10% below the May forecast.
The projected harvested acreage of tomatoes grown under contract is 224,000 acres, which is 1% lower than in 2021.
Expected production continued to decrease as the season progressed. Acres that were planted early were hit by frost damage that affected yields and crop quality.
Concern over low supply was prevalent as the lack of water availability and high summer temperatures have made it difficult for growers to meet market demand.
Harvest began during the second week of July. At this point, the flow of tomatoes has been consistently below last year. The Processing Tomato Advisory Board published shipments through Aug. 27, showing a 5% decrease compared to the end of August in 2021.
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