LA MESA, Calif. - A local hospital threw its San Diego Gas & Electric bill away Tuesday and is now "off the grid."
Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa officially dedicated its Central Energy Plant on Tuesday, and the gas-powered electricity plant cuts the hospital's emissions by 90 percent.
"I'm relieved. It's been a lot of long hours, long nights," said Nick Aden, Sharp HealthCare's Project Manager.
Additionally, the plant will also help cut the hospital's electric bill from $180,000 a month to nothing.
"This is huge. This is a big deal," said San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob. "It's a model for not just other hospitals but other large entities."
East County voters approved most of the funding for the power plant in 2006.
The plant generates 100 percent of the energy needed for the Sharp Grossmont Hospital campus.
