SMUD commits to retire all gas plants to reach 100% clean energy by 2030

Sacramento, Calif. -- Tonight, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)’s Board of Directors passed their 2030 Zero Carbon Plan that will improve air quality and community health and prioritize the environmental justice communities that are disproportionately affected by poor air quality. A key portion of the 2030 Zero Carbon Plan is to retire all five SMUD-operated gas plants by 2030, starting with the 72 megawatt (MW) McClellan Gas Power Plant and the 178 MW Campbell Soup Cogeneration Project, both of which are in environmental justice communities. 

SMUD’s Zero Carbon Plan will retire 1,103 MW of gas by 2030, and includes immediate construction of up to 3,400 MW of new clean energy, which will also help Sacramento cut pollution from transportation and buildings through electrification. 

“Broad electrification is a win-win that will not only clean up our air and accelerate our achieving a 100% clean energy future ahead of the state’s 2045 goal but also unlocks ways for the utility to maintain affordable rates while making major investments in its power system to achieve a zero carbon future,” said Barbara Leary, the chair of the Sierra Club’s Motherlode Chapter’s Sacramento Group. “We applaud SMUD for focusing their clean energy efforts in the frontline communities that disproportionately bear the brunt of the toxic emissions from gas plants. We look forward to seeing more cities, the state, and the nation follow this trend, and to quickly achieving a clean energy future for all.”

SMUD, one of the nation’s largest publicly owned utilities, joins Los Angeles and Glendale in taking their 100% commitments to the next level by establishing a solid pathway to implement their zero carbon future ahead of the state’s 2045 deadline.

“This is a clear plan from one of the country’s largest public utilities to move toward 100% clean energy over the next decade, and to prioritize frontline communities that have been impacted the most by fossil fuel infrastructure and pollution” said Luis Amezcua, My Generation Campaign’s Senior Campaign Representative. “With President Biden setting a strong 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target and cities taking bold steps to build unprecedented levels of clean energy to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, this is the kind of leadership that should inspire leaders across the state, including Governor Newsom, to take meaningful climate action. Governor Newsom must seize this opportunity and accelerate California’s clean energy targets, direct state agencies to build the clean energy we need to keep the lights on, and begin an orderly transition off of California’s fossil fuel fleet that prioritizes environmental justice communities first.”