TEJON RANCH, California — At the Edmonston Pumping Plant in Kern County, giant pumps lift water from an aqueduct near the Central Valley’s floor high up over the Tehachapi Mountains — roughly 2,000 feet — through a series of tunnels and tanks to the Southern California cities below.
It’s part of the State Water Project, a sprawling state-run system of pumps, canals and reservoirs that delivers water to 27 million Californians. It’s also the single biggest electricity user in the state.
The project’s massive energy demand makes it an early testing ground for one of California’s most aggressive climate targets: that state agencies must run on 100 percent renewable and zero-carbon electricity by 2035, a full decade ahead of the state’s broader 2045 goal.
The takeaway: It’s harder than it looks.
