San Francisco System Profile

NRG Thermal has owned and operated San Francisco’s district energy system since 1999. The system was established in 1930 when local utility Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) purchased three steam electric plants from Great Western Power Co. In 1993, PG&E sold its district heating operations to Thermal Ventures Inc., which formed a subsidiary, San Francisco Thermal, to operate the system. In 1995, NRG Energy Inc. acquired 49 percent of San Francisco Thermal. During the late ‘90s, the system experienced remarkable growth, adding nearly one new customer a month for a number of years, leading to NRG Thermal’s full system purchase.

Services provided: Steam for space heating, domestic hot water, air conditioning and industrial processes. The Energy Center also assists customers with equipment repair, upgrade, expansion and maintenance, as well as preparing multiple-year energy budget forecasts.

   Click on image for pdf of system map (0.3 MB)

Area served: 2 square miles of downtown San Francisco.

Buildings on system: Approximately 170.

Building space served: More than 37 million square feet of space.

Total system capacity: 410,000 lb/hr of steam.

Annual production: 700 million lb of steam.

Plants:
Station T. Located at 460 Jessie St. Houses six boilers: two produce 55,000 lb/hr of steam; two produce 100,000 lb/hr; one produces 50,000 lb/hr; and one produces 82,000 lb/hr. All boilers are fueled 100 percent by natural gas; No. 2 diesel is available as a backup fuel.
Station S. Located at 1 Meacham Place. Equipped with three boilers: one in operation producing 65,000 lb/hr of steam and two that are installed and permitted but not currently in use. All boilers are fueled 100 percent by natural gas; No. 2 diesel is available as a backup fuel.

Distribution network: 12 trench miles of steam piping.