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$5.3 million in taxpayer funds meant for Edison disappeared in failed Industry solar deal
Environment Nov 02, 2020
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Industry City Manager Troy Helling overlooks the hillsides of Tres Hermanos Ranch, a 2,450-acre preserve owned by City of Industry, between Diamond Bar and Chino Hills on Monday, January 28, 2019.
(Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) More than $5.3 million in public funds, meant to pass through a private developer to Southern California Edison to cover the costs of connecting a proposed solar farm to the grid, never made it to the utility company, according to court records and a notice of cancellation filed by Edison.
The City of Industry gave the millions to its partner on the project, San Gabriel Valley Water and Power LLC, as an advance to cover the first half of a June 2017 agreement for Edison to handle the design, engineering and construction of a new substation and other additions needed to integrate the potential solar farm into the larger system.
That agreement was canceled in April 2018 after SGVWP fell behind on payments, according to a May 2018 letter from Edison to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. SGVWP received notices about the late payments in October, November and December 2017, the letter stated. The LLC never provided the financial security required by […]