A bid by a San Diego Gas & Electric contractor to build a controversial power plant in Ladera Ranch in south Orange County has been shelved, according to legal documents filed Friday.
Wellhead Power Margarita LLC has asked Orange County to rescind project approval that it had been granted by the county planning commission, handing a major victory to residents who had formed the group Ladera Hope.
"We have won, and it's historic," said Jon Forrest, a Ladera Hope spokesman.
Homeowners organized after learning that SDG&E and Wellhead wanted to build a 46-megawatt "peaker" plant to operate about 200 hours a year.
Under SDG&E's plan -- approved by county planning officials and the state Public Utilities Commission -- the power plant would have prevented blackouts during periods of peak demand. It would have served 30,000 homes in south Orange County near SDG&E's overtaxed electrical grid.
Instead, Wellhead's attorney is expected to ask a judge to accept its request to end the controversy by rescinding the site development permits it was granted in November 2007.
"We look forward to Wellhead filing the paperwork to withdraw their application," said county counsel Benjamin de Mayo.
Wellhead officials did not respond to requests for an interview. But a spokeswoman said the legal papers "speak for the company."
Forrest said Ladera Ranch residents did not want the plant -- which would have been powered by natural gas -- so close to homes and schools.
They enlisted the support of Orange County Supervisor Patricia Bates. They signed petitions, held meetings and eventually filed a lawsuit against SDG&E, Wellhead and Orange County because of the planning commission's action.
During a closed session this week, the Board of Supervisors decided to act on its own against SDG&E and Wellhead.
The county challenged the proposal in court, saying new information suggested the plant's size and noise levels are "significantly higher" than previously indicated.
The county alleged the plant could double in size and operate for 2,000 or more hours a year, according to new information the county received from attorneys for Ladera Hope.
"The county has examined the new information . . . and now believes [the commission's approval] was based on faulty information and that new environmental review . . . is appropriate," according to court documents.
