This past September, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order directing the California Air Resources Board to adopt regulations increasing California’s energy from renewable sources to 33% by 2020 and 20% by 2010.
On December 18 the states regulators approved a request by Southern California Edison to construct a 173 mile long electricity transmission line to bring wind power generated in the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area in Kern County to Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
“California leads the nation in developing renewable energy” said governor Schwarzenegger. “The thousands of megawatts of renewable energy capacity this transmission line will add to our grid will help California meets it ambitious renewable portfolio standard, protect our environment, increase our energy security and further the growth of our green economy” he added.
After evaluating environmental impacts of 11 different projects and alternatives, the final report identifies the approved project as the environmentally superior alternative.
About 70% of the approved projects route is on existing right-of-way in compliance with the state policy, known under state law as the Garamendi Principles, to site and expand transmission infrastructure within existing right of way.
The California Public Utilities Commission, set a maximum cost of $1.5 billion for the project, excluding allowance for funds used during construction, estimated at $261.82 million, for an estimated total project cost of $1.8 billion for the project.
This brings to 500 miles the total of new transmission approved by the CPUC for the states investor-owned utilities. Five major lines capable of carrying 9,000 megawatts of power have been approved in the past three years with an infrastructure investment of more than $4.5billion.
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