Calif. Calpine Los Medanos plant back on line

LOS ANGELES, March 19 (Reuters) - Calpine (CPN.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Corp's 567-megawatt Los Medanos natural gas-fired power station in California returned to the power grid by Wednesday afternoon, the California Independent System Operator said in a report.

The power station had been off line since Feb 3.

The station, which entered service in 2001, is located in Pittsburg in Contra Costa County about 40 miles (64 km) east of San Francisco. It is a combined-cycle plant with two 165 MW combustion turbines and one 237 MW steam turbine.

One MW powers about 700 homes in California. (Reporting by Bernie Woodall, editing by Leslie Gevirtz)