Case Study Analysis: Mammoth Pacific Power Plant

Abstract

The expansion of the Mammoth Pacific Power Plant met substantial opposition and scrutiny in the Town of Mammoth Lakes, California. This paper explores the development process, from start to finish, of this 30 MW expansion project, drawing upon firsthand accounts by company and community representatives. This paper details the permitting, construction, and monitoring of the project, and highlights the community response to the plant. In the end, the Mammoth Pacific Complex has proven to be a success, both according to the community and also to the plant personnel. This case study reveals what took place behind the scenes to bring a power plant online near a small, California community, as indicated by the people involved in that process—both within and outside the developing company. It documents one plant’s transformation from one of the most hotly contested to one of the most locally and internationally appreciated power plants in the United States.