SCE Seeking New Transmission Line Project

By Slahor, Stephenie

Southern California Edison SCE has filed initiating documents with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission FERC about a proposed 230-mile, high voltage transmission line parallel to SCE’s existing Devers-Palo Verde No. 1 line. The line would run from Maricopa County, Arizona, through the full length of the Coachella Valley, to Romoland in western Riverside County. The documents filed by SCE request FERC’s preliminary environmental assessment, and initiate stakeholder and public input about the proposed “Devers-Palo Verde No. 2″ transmission project.

SCE consulted with FERC earlier this year to preserve SCE options for a successful project, given the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) decision in June. 2007 that rejected the proposed transmission project.

Pedro J. Pizarro, SCE Executive Vice-President for Power Operations, said that SCE will continue to pursue a new application with the ACC for the Arizona portion of the transmission project. “SCE’s first priority and preference is to gain regulatory approval for the proposed transmission project from the ACC,” he said, adding, “To support a new ACC filing, SCE is working with stakeholders, regional utilities and planning groups in Arizona to develop a mutually acceptable alternative plan to present to the ACC for approval of the project.”

SCE has already filed a petition with the California Public Utilities Commission to modify the existing g January, 2007 approval of the project. SCE wants to begin construction in California to satisfy interconnection requests for new, renewable and conventional generation projects to benefit southeastern California, including the Coachella Valley.

The proposed project would not only provide regional economic benefits, but also allow neighboring States to access renewable energy sources, such as solar energy generated in California and Arizona. SCE says its project would reduce energy co congestion within a nationally designated, critical electricity corridor, and would help the western States satisfy both energy policy and environmental goals related to power.

FERC has the authority to review documents and issue permits for transmission line projects denied by a State commission or other entity that has authority to approve facilities, if the project is within a nationally designated, critically congested electrical corridor. The corridor between Arizona and southern California has been deemed by the US Department of Energy as one of those types of corridors in the US.

Marco Ahumada is SCE’s Project Manager for the proposed transmission line.

He says, “The project will bring economic benefits to California,” including the Coachella Valley, far beyond the generation of reliable and renewable power. He explained that there will be an environmental benefit because the new transmission line will be of interest to energy producers seeking to develop and use the renewable sources of energy offered in the valley and elsewhere – primarily solar, but also wind. There is a “level of interest,” he said, from such producers for over 5100 megawatts of generation from such renewable sources. Although it is too early to predict exactly how much power will be generated by either solar or wind producers, the Coachella Valley is in a unique position to attract such companies because of tracts of land available for solar arrays and windmills. Ahumada said renewable energy is one of the primary reasons to make the transmission line a reality because it will help renewable energy become a reality for the customers of SCE. Those seeking to develop the geothermal energy potential of the area just south of the Salton Sea might also choose to upgrade their facilities and bring their connections northward to meet the proposed transmission line, thus adding geothermal generation into the mix of renewable energy sources.

The actual construction of the line will bring jobs to the valley and elsewhere and Ahumada noted that SCE has already, created an agreement with various labor unions whose members would be likely to be hired for the construction.

The environmental impact of the new line on the valley should be minimal because the line parallels an existing transmission line. In fact, Ahumada said, the new project has been reviewed multiple times over the past years and the route chosen for the project has been deemed an environmentally preferred route.

Ahumada feels that the project should be reviewed and approved by the California Public Utilities Commission by the end of 2008, if all goes well. By next year, construction should begin on the California portion. As to the Arizona portion, though, SCE would have to apply to the ACC again, “and that’s a priority,” he said. There could be a decision from the ACC by the end of 2009. But, to preserve its options, SCE will continue with the filings with FERC, whose process may take a few months longer than the ACC.

“The project brings benefits to the entire region,” said Ahumada, and those benefits will also extend to other western States because of the likelihood of development of more renewable energy.

Copyright Desert Publication, Inc. and Sharon Apfelbaum Jun 17, 2008

(c) 2008 Public Record, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.