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STATE OF CALIFORNIA
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Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the environmental review for the proposed construction of the San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) East County (ECO) Substation Project located in southeastern San Diego County, California. SDG&E submitted an application to the CPUC on August 10, 2009 (Application A.09-08-003). The proposed project is subject to review under both the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA and NEPA review processes. Links to Related ResourcesEnergia Sierra Juarez (ESJ) Project - Presidential Permit Website Sempra Generation's ESJ Website Tule Wind Project - Bureau of Land Management's Website Iberdrola Renewables Tule Wind Project Website BackgroundSDG&E filed an application for a Permit to Construct the ECO Substation Project with the CPUC and an application for a Right-of-Way (ROW) Grant from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The proposed project will cross approximately 1.5 miles of land managed by BLM. The CPUC and the BLM have developed and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (completed on December 14, 2009) that will direct the preparation of a joint Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) referred to as an EIR/EIS for the SDG&E ECO Substation Project. The CPUC, as the lead agency under California law, and the BLM, as the federal lead agency, will prepare a Draft and Final EIR/EIS to comply with CEQA and NEPA. The CPUC will evaluate the environmental impacts of the proposed project in accordance with CEQA and the BLM will evaluate the proposed project in accordance with NEPA. The ECO Substation Project, as proposed by SDG&E, includes the following major components:
The proposed project would provide an interconnection hub for renewable generation along SDG&E´s existing SWPL 500 kV transmission line. In addition to accommodating the region´s planned renewable generation, the project would also provide a second source for the southeastern 138 kV transmission system that avoids the vulnerability of common structure outages, which would increase the reliability of electrical service for Boulevard, Jacumba, and surrounding communities. The proposed project would provide interconnection capability at three voltage levels, which would provide renewable generators the option to connect at a voltage level that is appropriately sized for their project. The primary component of the proposed project, the ECO Substation, is situated approximately 0.5 mile north of the United States (U.S.)–Mexico border and 0.5 mile west of the Imperial County border. In addition to the proposed project, the CPUC and BLM have determined that the Tule Wind Project, as proposed by Pacific Wind Development (Iberdrola), and the Energia Sierra Juarez Generator Tie- Line Project (ESJ), as proposed by Energia Sierra Juarez U.S. Transmission, LLC, are so closely related to the proposed project as to be considered “connected actions” under NEPA. Current plans for the Tule Wind Project would tie this project into the proposed Boulevard Substation rebuild component of the ECO Substation Project. As proposed, the ESJ project would connect to the ECO Substation 500 kV or 230/138 kV yards component of the ECO Substation Project. These projects will be analyzed within the same environmental document and are discussed in more detail below. Tule Wind 200 MW Project The proposed Tule Wind 200 MW Project, consisting of 124 wind turbines in the 1.5 to 3.0 MW range generating up to 200 MW of electricity, would be located in the McCain Valley in southeastern San Diego County, California. In addition to wind turbines and associated generator step-up transformers, the Tule Wind 200 MW Project would include the following components:
For public safety, permanent fences would be erected around the collector substation, meteorological towers, O&M facility, and the equipment storage area. This project requires a Record of Decision from BLM and a Major Use Permit from the County of San Diego. The County of San Diego will use the EIR/EIS to issue the Major Use Permit for its compliance with CEQA. ESJ U.S. Gen-Tie Project As proposed by Energia Sierra Juarez U.S. Transmission, LLC, the ESJ U.S. Gen-Tie Project would have the capacity to import up to 1,250 MW of renewable energy generated in northern Baja California, Mexico to the existing SWPL Transmission Line in southeastern San Diego County, California. The selected route would interconnect with the proposed ECO Substation and would be constructed on three to five 150-foot lattice towers or 170-foot steel monopoles, extending south from the point of interconnection for about 0.5 mile to the U.S./Mexico international border. Only renewable energy would be transmitted via the gen-tie line. The EIR/EIS will address the gen-tie line including any potential impacts to the United States associated with wind turbines constructed in Mexico. This project requires a Presidential Permit (PP-334) from the United States Department of Energy and a Major Use Permit from the County of San Diego. The County of San Diego will use the EIR/EIS to issue the Major Use Permit for its compliance with CEQA. The project location map depicts the location of the ECO Substation Project as well as the location of the Tule Wind and ESJ projects. This map also depicts ESJ Wind Project components in northern Baja California, Mexico as relevant potential impacts within the United States that could be related to or caused by this project would be addressed in the ECO Substation, Tule Wind, and ESJ Projects EIR/EIS. Application and Proponent's Environmental Assessment (PEA)The proponent's environmental assessment (PEA) for the ECO substation was submitted August 10, 2009, and is available here. Other Documents AvailableThe Scoping Report is available here (March 23, 2010). Public Scoping Meeting presentation is available here. The Public Notice is available here. The Notice of Preparation (NOP) is available (here). (official public review period: December 28, 2009 to February 10, 2010). The Notice of Intent (NOI) is available (here). (official public review period: December 29, 2009 to February 12, 2010). The First PEA deficiency letter was sent by the CPUC on September 9, 2009 and can be viewed here. Application deemed complete on October 2, 2009. Letter can be viewed here. The CPUC is currently seeking further information from area developers (based on developer information provided by SDG&E) to assess whether such information should be treated as privileged. Environmental Impact Report (EIR)/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)Draft
EIR/EIS Final
EIR/EIS Commission DecisionThe commission´s decision will be posted here when available. Construction Progress and Mitigation MonitoringReports issued by the CPUC, reports on construction progress, and reports issued as part of the Mitigation Monitoring Program will be published here, when available. For Additional InformationThe CPUC, through its environmental review team, is conducting an environmental review of this project. To request additional information or to be added to the mailing list, please contact us by email, fax, or phone as follows:
The CPUC's project manager is:Iain Fisher, CPUC Project Manager The BLM project manager is:Thomas Zale, BLM Project Manager
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