Southern California Public Power Authority

What Southern California Public Power Authority does

Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) is a Joint Powers Authority created under California law in 1980, serving as a shared procurement, financing, construction, and operating vehicle for eleven municipal utilities (Anaheim, Azusa, Banning, Burbank, Cerritos, Colton, Glendale, LADWP, Pasadena, Riverside, Vernon) and one irrigation district (Imperial Irrigation District). Its member utilities serve approximately 2 million customers and 5 million Californians across a 9,000-square-mile service territory, supplying roughly 16% of California's power.

SCPPA's core technology is a diversified portfolio of generation and transmission assets: 230 MW share of Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station; 531 MW Apex and 310 MW Magnolia natural-gas combined-cycle plants; 200 MW Canyon peaker; geothermal resources across Nevada and California (Don A Campbell I & II, Heber 1, Ormesa, Northern Nevada Portfolio up to 185 MW, Whitegrass No. 1, Casa Diablo IV, Star Peak, Coso); solar projects totaling well over 800 MW (notably Copper Mountain Solar 3 at 250 MW and Springbok I/II/III at 315 MW) plus the recently commissioned 65 MW Daggett Solar 2 with 33 MW battery storage; wind farms totaling more than 700 MW (Windy Flats, Milford I/II, Pebble Springs, Linden); the 14 MW Tieton hydropower facility; biomass and landfill gas assets; and three high-voltage transmission systems (Mead-Adelanto at 1,291 MW, Mead-Phoenix at 1,923 MW, and the 488-mile Southern Transmission System at 97.2% availability). Supporting services include energy efficiency programs, a transportation electrification initiative with a curated EVSE discount portfolio across seven vendors, and a member-focused training center.

SCPPA's business model is a member-funded cost-allocation model rather than a margin-based one: it structures project-level financings (with PFM Financial Advisors, Norton Rose Fulbright bond counsel, and U.S. Bank as trustee) and issues bonds on behalf of participating members, then recovers costs through power supply, transmission service, and project agreements. It is not a publicly traded company; there are no equity shareholders, and governance is exercised through a member-appointed Board of Directors. Value-added service lines (training, EVSE discounts, government affairs) extend its commercial surface without shifting the underlying cost-recovery economics.

Name

Southern California Public Power Authority

Legal name

Southern California Public Power Authority

Website

https://scppa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southern California Public Power Authority is a California Joint Powers Authority, founded 1980, that jointly procures, finances, and operates generation and transmission assets for its twelve member municipal utilities and irrigation district serving approximately 2 million customers across Southern California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Power Services

NAICS

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211), Electric Power Generation (22111), Electric Bulk Power Transmission and Control (221121), Electric Power Distribution (221122)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydropower Digital, Controls & SCADA/Automation (EUACAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Protection, Control & SCADA/Automation Installation (Relay Panels, RTUs) (IMAFAHAF), Energy Management Systems & Plant Controllers (PPC, AGC Participation, Curtailment Control) (EUAMAIAI)

Keywords

• Joint power authority
• Public power services
• Municipal utility services
• Power generation projects
• Energy procurement services

Headquarters

HQ city

Glendora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) is a Joint Powers Authority that provides joint planning, financing, construction, and operation of power generation and transmission projects for its 12 member public agencies (11 municipal utilities and 1 irrigation district) in Southern California. The organization delivers energy from a diversified portfolio spanning geothermal, solar, wind, hydro, biomass, landfill gas, natural gas, and nuclear sources, alongside transmission infrastructure, energy efficiency programs, transportation electrification initiatives, and training services.

Product overview

Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) is a Joint Powers Authority that provides joint planning, financing, construction, and operation of transmission and generation projects for its 11 municipal utility members and 1 irrigation district. The organization operates a diversified portfolio of energy projects including fossil/nuclear generation (Apex Power, Canyon Power, Magnolia Power, Palo Verde Nuclear), geothermal projects (Don A Campbell, Ormat Heber 1, Ormesa, Northern Nevada Geothermal Portfolio, Whitegrass No. 1, Casa Diablo IV, Star Peak, Coso), solar projects (Antelope Big Sky Ranch, Antelope DSR, Astoria 2, Columbia Two, Copper Mountain Solar 3, Desert Harvest II, Kingbird B, Springbok I/II/III, Summer Solar, Daggett Solar 2 with storage), wind projects (Linden, Milford I/II, Pebble Springs, Windy Flats), hydro projects (Tieton Hydropower), landfill gas projects (Chiquita Canyon, Puente Hills), natural gas supply projects (Barnett Shale, Pinedale, Prepaid Natural Gas), and transmission infrastructure (Mead-Adelanto, Mead-Phoenix, Southern Transmission System). SCPPA also supports member utilities through energy efficiency programs, transportation electrification initiatives including EVSE discount offerings, and training services through its SCPPA Training Center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Biomass Projects

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (Arizona Public Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCPPA participates in the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, one of the largest nuclear power facilities in the US, with a 230 MW share. Participants include Azusa, Banning, Burbank, Colton, Glendale, Imperial Irrigation District, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Riverside, and Vernon.
• Burbank Water and PowercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurbank Water and Power operates SCPPA's Magnolia Power Project, a 310 MW natural gas-fired combined cycle plant located in Burbank, California.
• Burbank Water and PowercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurbank Water and Power co-participates in the Tieton Hydropower Project (14 MW facility near Yakima, Washington) with Glendale.
• Ormat TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCPPA has multiple geothermal partnerships with Ormat including the Heber 1 Project (63 MW in Imperial County) and Ormesa Complex, working to increase generating capacity.
• Ormat TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner25-year Power Purchase Agreement with Ormat for Casa Diablo IV geothermal project (16 MW) located in Mono County, California.
• Northern Nevada Geothermal DeveloperscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthern Nevada Geothermal Portfolio Project combining new and existing geothermal facilities including Tungsten Mountain, Steamboat Hills, McGinness Hills 3, and Galena 2, with maximum capacity of 185 MW.
• Open Mountain EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner25-year Power Purchase Agreements with Open Mountain Energy for Whitegrass No. 1 (3 MW geothermal) and Star Peak (12.5 MW geothermal) projects.
• Coso Geothermal Power HoldingscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner20-year Power Purchase Agreement for 17.5-55.3 MW of geothermal energy from the Coso project in Inyo County, California, delivering 78,135 MWhs in fiscal year 2021-2022.
• Western Area Power AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Transmission System (STS) - 488 mile DC bi-pole transmission line with near-perfect availability (97.2%), transporting power from the Intermountain West.
• LS PowerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCPPA acquired the Apex Power Project (531 MW natural gas combined cycle in Nevada) from LS Power in 2014.
• AMPLY PowerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAMPLY provides EV charging-as-a-service to SCPPA members through a $0.10 per kWh discount program for fleet operators.
• ChargePointminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChargePoint EV charging station partnership offering 50% discount on stations for SCPPA members through equipment purchasing discount program.
• Clean Fuel ConnectionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerClean Fuel Connection provides 15% discount on EV charging equipment and installation services to SCPPA member customers.
• FLO Services USAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFLO provides turnkey EV charging solutions for property managers, business owners, and municipalities with preferred pricing for SCPPA members.
• National Car ChargingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational Car Charging offers 10-22% off ChargePoint EV charging equipment with free station activation for SCPPA members.
• OPConnectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOPConnect offers discounted Level 2 chargers and DC fast chargers for SCPPA members including $185-3,900 discounts.
• Siemens eMobilityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSiemens VersiCharge Level 2 EV charging stations available at discounted pricing for SCPPA members.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Northern California Power Agency (NCPA): California's other major Joint Powers Authority for municipal utilities, providing joint power generation and procurement services. Structurally and functionally analogous to SCPPA, serving a different geographic region of California with similar diversified generation and renewable procurement activities.
• MEAG Power (Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia): Joint Action Agency that issues bonds and provides joint generation, transmission, and project financing services for 49 participating Georgia municipal electric systems. Closely comparable JPA/governmental structure serving municipal utilities with shared-financing generation assets.
• Platte River Power Authority: Wholesale power provider jointly owned by four Colorado municipal utilities (Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, Estes Park). Operates generation and transmission assets under a joint authority model, very similar in structure and function to SCPPA.
• WPPI Energy: Joint action agency providing wholesale electricity and services to 51 member municipal utilities across Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, and Minnesota. Comparable scale, member-based structure, and joint procurement/provision of generation and renewable resources.
• PowerSouth Energy Cooperative: Generation and transmission cooperative serving distribution members across Alabama and Northwest Florida. Operates shared generation assets (including gas, coal-to-gas conversion) under a cooperative structure analogous to a municipal JPA for joint power supply.
• Santee Cooper (South Carolina Public Service Authority): State-owned public power and water utility providing generation, transmission, and distribution across South Carolina. Comparable state-chartered public power authority with diversified generation portfolio including nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydro, solar, and biomass.
• Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD): Large California community-owned electric utility serving Sacramento County with generation, transmission, and distribution. Similar public-power governance model and California renewable compliance exposure; not a JPA but operates at similar scale with comparable portfolio mix.
• Salt River Project (SRP): Arizona-based agricultural improvement district and public power utility providing electricity to a large service territory in the Phoenix metro. Comparable government-chartered public power utility with generation, transmission, and water-power nexus similar to Imperial Irrigation District within SCPPA.

Broad incumbents

• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP): Largest municipal utility in the US and the dominant member of SCPPA, operating its own generation, transmission, and distribution across Los Angeles. Comparable in renewable procurement activities and California policy exposure but materially larger and vertically integrated rather than a JPA.

Others

• American Public Power Association (APPA): National trade association representing more than 2,000 not-for-profit, community-owned public power utilities including SCPPA and its members. Provides advocacy, training, and benchmarking services comparable to SCPPA's government affairs and training center activities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SCPPA_Alert
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-california-public-power-authority

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southern California Public Power Authority