The project is located in San Bernardino County, California; Clark County, Nevada; the cities of Hesperia, California and Boulder City, Nevada; the unincorporated community of Lucerne Valley in California; and the unincorporated communities of Searchlight and Laughlin in Nevada. A map is provided here. An overview of the Proposed Project is provided below.

The Proposed Project must be reviewed under both the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The CPUC is the CEQA lead agency and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the NEPA lead agency, with the National Park Service (Mojave National Preserve) as a Cooperating Agency under NEPA. This website provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA review processes and mitigation monitoring. The BLM project website will be linked here when it is established.

DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED PROJECT

The ELM Project consists of the following major components:

• Construct two new 500 kV mid-line series capacitors (the proposed Newberry Springs Series Capacitor and Ludlow Series Capacitor) and associated equipment
  
  
• Relocate, replace, or modify existing transmission, subtransmission, and distribution facilities at approximately 12 locations along the Eldorado-Lugo, Eldorado-Mohave, and Lugo-Mohave 500 kV Transmission Lines to address 14 potential overhead clearance discrepancies
  
  
• Perform minor grading at two discrepancy locations along the Lugo-Mohave 500 kV Transmission Line
  
  
• Extend or reroute approximately 2 miles of overhead and approximately 700 feet of underground 12 kV distribution circuits to provide station light and power to the proposed Newberry Springs Series Capacitor and Ludlow Series Capacitor (the distribution poles are supporting the overhead telecommunication facilities on the same route)
  
  
• Install distribution facilities to provide station light and power to three proposed fiber optic repeater sites
  
  
• Install approximately 235 miles of OPGW (173 miles on the Lugo-Mohave 500 kV Transmission Line, approximately 59 miles on the Eldorado-Mohave 500 kV Transmission Line, including approximately 3 miles of underground telecommunications facilities in the vicinity of Mohave Substation)
  
  
• Modify the ground wire peak of existing suspension towers used as splice locations for the OPGW work; some of these towers would also require minor modifications to the steel in the tower body
  
  
• Install approximately 2 miles of overhead and approximately 500 feet of underground telecommunications facilities to connect the proposed Newberry Springs Series Capacitor and Ludlow Series Capacitor to SCE's existing system as one communication path (the telecommunications facilities would share the same poles with overhead distribution)
  
  
• Install approximately 2 miles of underground telecommunications facilities to connect the proposed Newberry Springs Series Capacitor and Ludlow Series Capacitor to SCE's existing system as a second communication path
  
  
• Install underground telecommunications facilities from existing transmission structures to three fiber optic repeater sites-Barstow, Kelbaker, and Lanfair-within the Lugo-Mohave 500 kV Transmission Line ROW
  
  
• Install approximately 1,000 feet of underground telecommunications facilities within the existing Lugo, Mohave, and Eldorado Substations
  
  
• Perform modifications within the existing Lugo Substation on the existing series capacitors and install new terminating equipment; remove two existing TSPs within the substation and install two new TSPs within the substation on the Eldorado and Mohave 500 kV Transmission Lines
  
  
• Perform modifications within the existing Eldorado Substation on the existing series capacitors and upgrade the terminal equipment on the Lugo 500 kV Transmission Line
  
  
• Replace existing series capacitors on the Lugo 500 kV Transmission Line, and install new terminal equipment on the Eldorado and Lugo 500 kV Transmission Lines at the existing Mohave Substation

Application Completeness Review

The CPUC has determined that SCE's application was not complete as submitted on May 2, 2018 and has defined the deficiencies in a June 1, 2018 letter.

COMMENTS & QUESTIONS?

If you have comments or questions regarding the project, please contact us using the CPUC's project email or voicemail, as follows: