SCE announced the completion of the largest U.S. environmental project of its kind – a 175-acre artificial giant kelp reef off San Clemente, Calif. The project involved placement of 120,000 tons of rock in a precise pattern on the ocean floor. It is expected to produce the nation’s first sustainable artificial kelp forest attracting many species of coastal fish and invertebrates dependent on such underwater habitats for shelter and food.

The two-mile kelp forest the new reef will create is expected to produce as much as 50 tons of fish annually, significantly enhancing Southern California’s coastal environment and recreation resources. The project will fully offset any impact to a nearby natural kelp forest from naturally cloudy ocean water relocated by the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station operated by majority owner Southern California Edison and also owned by San Diego Gas & Electric and the City of Riverside.

Benefits

• The reef will add a significant amount of new marine habitat to the Southern California coastal underwater forest protecting and nourishing as many as 50 varieties of fish and invertebrates.
• The reef will increase Southern California recreational opportunities including fishing and diving.
• SCE believes its environmental projects set a green standard for coastal power plants, providing a model for the use of economical ocean water cooling while effectively restoring environmental impacts.

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