Los Esteros Critical Energy Center
Los Esteros Critical Energy Facility (LECEF) is a 306–320 MW natural-gas-fired combined-cycle power plant located at 800 Thomas Foon Chew Way in northern San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. The facility began as a 180 MW simple-cycle peaker in March 2003, owned and operated by Calpine Corporation. In 2004, the facility was transferred to Los Esteros Critical Energy Facility LLC. Phase 2 conversion to combined-cycle operation, certified in October 2006, added four heat-recovery steam generators, a nominal 140 MW steam turbine generator, and a six-cell cooling tower, bringing total capacity to approximately 309–320 MW. The upgraded facility commenced commercial operation in August 2013. LECEF now comprises five operating generators: four General Electric LM6000PC Sprint gas turbines and one steam turbine. The facility operates as an independent power producer under CAISO market oversight, serving Pacific Gas and Electric Company under a ten-year power purchase agreement and providing flexible, dispatchable natural-gas-fired generation capacity to support Silicon Valley's electricity demand. A separately metered, 200 MW lithium-ion battery-storage project (Tanager BESS) has been proposed as a co-located addition on the same parcel.