Q. What is the Sunrise Powerlink?
A. The Sunrise Powerlink is a new electric transmission line proposed by SDG&E to be constructed between the Imperial Valley and San Diego. This new “energy superhighway” will be capable of handling the electricity needs of over 650,000 customers and help ensure a safe and reliable supply of energy for the region.
Q. Why is the Sunrise Powerlink needed?
A. The Sunrise Powerlink is needed to meet the growing demand for electricity in the region, improve overall energy reliability and provide access to clean, renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal.
Q. What is the proposed route for the Sunrise Powerlink?
A. SDG&E has proposed a 150-mile route for the Sunrise Powerlink from Imperial Valley to coastal San Diego. The California Public Utilities Commission and Bureau of Land Management are currently studying the proposed route along with several other alternatives as part of its environmental review process. The draft environmental studies were released by the CPUC and BLM on January 3, 2008. The CPUC will ultimately determine the final route for the Sunrise Powerlink.
Q. When is this line needed?
A. A major new transmission line is needed by 2010 to ensure reliable power for SDG&E customers. Forecasts show that by 2010 the region will demand, at times, more energy than can be generated locally or imported on existing transmission lines – even with two new power plants added to the region. Further, SDG&E needs the Sunrise Powerlink to meet new state mandates requiring utilities to generate 20 percent of energy supplies from clean, renewable resources by the year 2010.
Q. What are the steps for getting a major transmission line built?
A. For more than two years, the Sunrise Powerlink has gone through an exhaustive licensing and environmental review process led by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which is the state agency that has authority to approve transmission lines in California built by regulated utilities. The approval process for the Sunrise Powerlink is as follows:
Q. How would the new line improve system reliability?
A. San Diego sits in an energy cul-de-sac with only two connections to the state’s energy grid – the last one built nearly 25 years ago. The Sunrise Powerlink would add a vital third link and expand SDG&E's capability to import more power to meet the growing demand for electricity, while helping to relieve current transmission bottlenecks on the grid that can result in higher energy costs. A new major transmission line could also protect against future transmission emergencies that can lead to blackouts and cost the region millions of dollars in lost economic productivity.
Q. Will the Sunrise Powerlink provide more access to renewable energy sources?
A. Yes. The Sunrise Powerlink will connect the region to existing and proposed renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal, located in eastern San Diego County and the Imperial Valley. SDG&E has contracts in place for new solar power projects and geothermal power projects in the Imperial Valley. And more is on the way. However, without the Sunrise Powerlink, much of this clean, green energy could not be delivered to SDG&E customers.
Q. Can SDG&E meet state renewable energy mandates without the Sunrise Powerlink?
A. No. State law requires utilities like SDG&E to have 20 percent of the electricity it delivers come from renewable energy resources by the year 2010. SDG&E is committed to reaching and even exceeding the 2010 green power mandate, but needs the Sunrise Powerlink to make it happen. The California Energy Commission agrees and has called the lack of transmission lines to the Imperial Valley a barrier to meeting California’s renewable energy goals.
Q. Can’t we meet San Diego’s energy needs by putting solar panels on rooftops?
A. Rooftop solar is part of the solution but can’t be relied upon exclusively to meet all our needs. SDG&E is a big supporter of rooftop solar and is counting on 300 megawatts of new solar over the next ten years as part of the landmark $3.5 billion California Solar Initiative. To match the power capability of the Sunrise Powerlink, you would have to install solar panels on 855,000 residential homes at a cost to ratepayers of approximately $20 billion.
Q. Will the Sunrise Powerlink reduce energy costs?
A. Yes. In fact, the Sunrise Powerlink will reduce costs by over $100 million per year. Like a freeway at rush hour, SDG&E’s transmission system becomes jammed when the demand for energy is high. Adding new transmission capacity helps to eliminate the expensive transmission system bottlenecks that cost SDG&E customers millions of dollars each year. The Sunrise Powerlink will also increase access to potentially less expensive power generated outside the area, while reducing the region's reliance on aging, less efficient local power plants that are more expensive to operate. As a result of these savings, the Sunrise Powerlink will pay for itself over time.
Q. How much will the project cost to build and who will pay for it?
A. The cost of the Sunrise Powerlink is $1.3 billion. Most electricity consumers in California share the costs of transmission infrastructure. About 10 percent of the cost of the new line would be borne by SDG&E customers.
Q. What are other energy experts saying about the Sunrise Powerlink?
A. Energy experts agree that San Diego needs the Sunrise Powerlink. The line is strongly supported by the California Independent System Operator, which manages California’s power grid, and the California Energy Commission, because it will improve energy reliability and expand access to clean energy supplies in the Imperial Valley. Further, the U.S. Department of Energy has determined in a nationwide study of the power grid that San Diego sits in one of the two weakest and most vulnerable energy corridors in the country. The DOE has called for immediate action to build more power lines like the Sunrise Powerlink.
Q. Can’t SDG&E meet San Diego's energy needs just by building more local power plants?
A. A balanced approach of adding more power plants and transmission lines is needed to maintain a reliable supply of power for SDG&E customers. Three new power plants in San Diego County are either in service or under construction. The first came on line in June 2005. Palomar Energy in Escondido came on-line in June 2006, and a third is scheduled to begin operating in Otay Mesa by 2009. Just adding more local generation is not the entire solution, especially since new laws require SDG&E to increase the use of renewable power and lower greenhouse gas emissions. A combination of local generation and more transmission lines provides greatest flexibility to meet the energy needs of the region while protecting the environment.
Q. Why has SDG&E proposed this project instead of just upgrading existing transmission lines?
A. SDG&E is doing both. Expanding the transmission system is part of SDG&E's balanced, long-term resource strategy to ensure reliability, which first calls for improved energy efficiency and conservation, then increased use of renewable energy, construction of new power plants and expansion of the transmission system. SDG&E has recently made significant upgrades to its local transmission system, including the addition of the 230-kV Mission-Miguel #2 transmission line and expansion of the Miguel substation. But San Diego still has only two major transmission links to the statewide grid. Adding a new line provides the greatest flexibility to meet future growth and to integrate with the transmission system across the western U.S. Also, just upgrading existing lines would not offer the same access to renewable energy resources.
Q. I’ve heard power lines caused some of the Oct. 2007 wildfires in San Diego. Is the Sunrise Powerlink fire-safe?
A. Power lines are rarely the cause of fires. In fact, Cal Fire statistics show power lines caused only three percent of fires between 2000 and 2005. The power lines involved in the October 2007 fires were built on small wooden poles and damaged by hurricane-force winds. The Sunrise Powerlink will be built on large steel structures using stronger hardware, heavier insulators and larger wire. The wires will also be higher off the ground, spread further apart, and located farther from trees or bushes, thus making the line far less susceptible to dangerous winds and blowing debris.
Q. Will the Sunrise Powerlink pose a health hazard to communities due to electric and magnetic fields?
A. Electric and magnetic fields (EMF) are invisible lines of force that are present wherever electricity flows – through appliances and power lines, and in offices, schools and homes. Science has not demonstrated that EMF poses health risks, nor has it been able to dismiss the possibility of a small risk. Legitimate scientific uncertainty exists.
SDG&E recognizes the concerns over the possibility that EMF might adversely affect health.
Until research and the scientific community provide greater direction, SDG&E will continue to:
Q. What major groups or agencies support the project?
A. Thousands of energy experts, newspapers, elected officials, community leaders, and consumers across California support the Sunrise Powerlink including: California Independent System Operator, California Energy Commission, 75 elected officials like San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, and over 80 business, labor and trade associations. Click here to see the complete list of supporters.
Q. How do I learn more about the Sunrise Powerlink project?
A. To learn more about the project or access a schedule of upcoming open houses in your neighborhood, please call the project hotline number at (877) 775-6818 or visit www.sdge.com/sunrisepowerlink. SDG&E is also interested in getting your feedback. You can send us comments or questions via the website or by sending an email to sunrisepowerlink@sdge.com