Aspen Supports CPUC For SCE Ivanpah-Control Project
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has asked Aspen to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and help with an extended application review process for the proposed rebuilding of over 300 miles of an existing transmission line. Southern California Edison (SCE) is proposing to rebuild components of its existing 115-kilovolt transmission lines between the Ivanpah, Coolwater, and Kramer Substations in San Bernardino County, the Inyokern Substation in Kern County, and the Haiwee and Control Substations in Inyo County.
SCE is proposing the project as part of its Transmission Line Rating Remediation (TLRR) Program, through which SCE has determined that certain older parts of the its existing transmission system do not to comply with the CPUC’s transmission line safety requirements. The transmission system included in the Ivanpah-Control Project extends over 350 miles, from eastern San Bernardino County, through the northeastern corner of Kern County, and into Inyo County. The route connects numerous substations, which would require updated interconnection to the new conductors.
IC Project Construction
SCE proposes to build the project within existing rights-of-way (ROW) and on existing SCE-owned property. However, SCE will need to acquire new authorizations from the BLM and other federal and state landowners, and new or modified easements from private landowners, to accommodate the reconstructed subtransmission lines in some locations. Key construction activities will include the need for staging yards and work areas, use of helicopters, use of existing access roads, and vegetation removal.
The CPUC’s Pre-filing Process
For the IC Project, SCE has opted to participate in the CPUC’s “pre-filing process,” which provides CPUC staff and its consultant team with an opportunity to review a preliminary version of its application. The Pre-Filing Process was established in 2006, when the CPUC issued the Executive Director’s Statement Establishing Transmission Project Review Streamlining Directives. This period started last October (2018) and is anticipated to end with SCE’s submittal of the formal application in July of 2019.
The CEQA Process
After SCE submits its formal application in July 2019, Aspen will assist the CPUC in reviewing the application for completeness, using the CPUC’s detailed guidelines. The next steps in the CEQA process involve public and agency outreach through scoping meetings, development of potential alternatives, and preparation of a Draft and Final EIR. The Final EIR would be completed in the second half of 2020 according to the current schedule, in which SCE proposes to start construction in 2021.