MEC Quick Facts

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Metcalf is capable of providing: 600 megawatts power for 600,000 households, or power for 2,850,000 personal computers, or power for 8,000,000 75-watt light bulbs Construction required: 700+ workers 2,000 tons of steel 21,000 cubic yards of concrete 190 miles of wire and cable 69,000 feet of pipe Powering Silicon Valley San Jose-based Calpine Corporation is committed to helping meet California’s energy needs. Clean, reliable and cost-effective energy solutions are needed to sustain the state’s economy and lifestyles. Calpine is developing these solutions for California, like the Metcalf Energy Center – the largest addition of electric generating capacity in the history of the energy-deficient Silicon Valley. Employing highly fuel efficient and environmentally responsible combined-cycle technology, the 600-megawatt Metcalf Energy Center requires up to 30 percent less natural gas than comparable power plants operating today. As a result, the Metcalf Energy Center will help to replace California’s aging and environmentally-objectionable power plants. Moreover, by virtue of emission reduction credits, operation of the Metcalf Energy Center results in a net improvement in Bay Area air quality. Electrical output from the facility is capable of providing for the power needs of 600,000 area homes and the facility’s location – within the Silicon Valley load center – helps insulate residents and businesses from the costly disruption and inconvenience of inadequate electrical supplies. Advanced Design Metcalf produces electricity using state-of-the-art “combined-cycle” technology, integrating two combustion turbines and a single steam turbine. Each combustion turbine is fueled by natural gas and works similar to a jet engine to drive an electric generator. Heat from the combustion turbines is captured and recycled in a separate process to create steam, which in turn drives the steam turbine. This combined-cycle process results in a significantly more fuel efficient and dramatically cleaner energy center that directly benefits Silicon Valley and helps preserve the environment. The Metcalf Energy Center also minimizes fresh water usage. Recycled wastewater is used for plant cooling purposes. This allows for the commercial use of a wastewater stream that would otherwise be discharged into the San Francisco Bay without providing any useful or beneficial application. The use of recycled water has a significant benefit to the south San Francisco Bay waters, as well. The water district is being ordered to reduce discharges into the Bay, and Metcalf will eliminate several million gallons per day of discharge.

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Higher Efficiency and Environmental Standards Metcalf also helps address Silicon Valley’s energy challenges. The California ISO has stated “… the Bay Area, in particular the San Jose area, is among the most generation deficient areas in the state …” and that “… Metcalf will provide substantial reliability benefits.” In fact, of the estimated 2,200 megawatts that are needed to meet peak power demand in the San Jose area, less than a third are generated locally. Metcalf specifically addresses this imbalance and reduces the vulnerability of the San Jose and Silicon Valley electrical system. The Site The project site is separated from urban San Jose by Tulare Hill. A PG&E Substation is located approximately ¼ mile northeast of the site, and five PG&E transmission lines connect into the substation across Tulare Hill, just north of the site. Development of a power plant in the area is consistent with the existing utility infrastructure and Metcalf is designed and landscaped to be consistent with the planned campus industrial area. Calpine’s Track Record in California Calpine has made an unprecedented investment in California’s energy infrastructure through the construction and operation of the State’s newest, cleanest, and most fuel efficient fleet of power projects. Metcalf is one of two Calpine natural gas-fueled power plants that on-line in California this summer. Calpine’s Pastoria Energy Center began operating in May, supplying 750 megawatts to Southern California Edison’s transmission system. Together, the projects will increase Calpine’s California project portfolio to 41 power plants and more than 5,250 megawatts. Taken as a whole, Calpine’s projects produce enough electricity to satisfy the power needs of more than five million California households. About Calpine Calpine Corporation is a North American power company dedicated to providing electric power to customers from clean, efficient, natural gas-fired and geothermal power plants. The company generates power at plants it owns or leases in 21 states in the United States, and three provinces in Canada. The company is included in the S&P 500. Calpine was founded in 1984 and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CPN. For more information, visit www.calpine.com. 50 West San Fernando Street • San Jose, CA 95113 • 1-800-359-5115 • www.calpine.com