Sunrise Powerlink

Green Line: California Transmission Battle Divides Environmentalists
Renewable[ energy is nice in theory. But what about in practice?
The Wall Street Journal – 04/28/08

Dan Walters: Greens like idea of renewable energy, balk at the reality
An environmental coalition called Californians for Solar and Clean Energy has submitted more than 700,000 signatures for an initiative measure that would compel the state's utilities to use renewable sources for 40 percent of their electric power supplies by 2020 and 50 percent by 2025, a sharp increase in what the state's current policy requires.
The Sacramento Bee – 04/23/08

$100 million investment to help solar energy plan
Stirling Energy Systems announces crucial financial backing for proposed Imperial Valley solar energy project.
Union Tribune – 04/18/08

Solar Projects Hinge on Proposed Powerlink
NTR, an Ireland-based company that specializes in renewable energy and waste management, plans to invest $100 million in Phoenix-based Stirling Energy Systems Inc.
San Diego Business Journal – 04/17/08

Changing the Current
State Environmental Laws Drive Power Producers to Renewable Resources
The Washington Post – 04/22/08

$100 million investment to help solar energy plan
A startup solar energy company with ambitious plans to generate electricity for San Diego said it has gained crucial financial backing for the project it has proposed in the Imperial Valley.
Union Tribune – 04/18/08

SANDAG seems to get behind Powerlink
The board members of the county's long-range planning group overwhelmingly endorsed the Sunrise Powerlink yesterday – sort of.
Union Tribune – 04/12/08

South Bay Mayors Pledge Sunrise Powerlink Support
Many South Bay residents say they are tired of the old, ugly and useless South Bay Power Plant.
KGTV 10news.com – 04/08/08

Yes to the Powerlink – Transmission line key to economic future
As the CPUC holds hearings here this week, the panel should keep a sharp eye focused on the future.
Union Tribune – 02/27/08

Green projects generate splits in activist groups
On Capitol Hill, the Audubon Society is leading the fight to increase production of climate-friendly power. So why are Audubon enthusiasts battling a wind farm that could help meet that goal?
The Wall Street Journal – 12/13/07

PUC should get busy, OK power lines
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently took an important step toward safeguarding our nation's quality of life, economy and security. Recognizing that increasing energy demand and aging electric infrastructure threaten our livelihood, the DOE designated two areas of the country as critical to ensuring a safe and reliable supply of electricity.
The Sun – 11/06/07

Transmit Vital Energy
As temperatures climbed to triple digits across California recently, utilities faced their first challenge of the year to secure energy supplies and keep the lights on. Indeed, the state's power grid operator called the year's first Stage 1 emergency as utilities dipped low into California's electricity reserves as the demand for power surged.
The Press Enterprise – 11/03/07

National energy corridors OK'd, may pave way for Sunrise Powerlink
The U.S. Department of Energy said Tuesday that it has designated two national energy corridors – one including San Diego County – in which the federal government has authorization in some circumstances to issue permits for new transmission facilities.
San Diego Union Tribune – 10/02/07

SDG&E: Power line would avoid wilderness
North County – The region's electric utility says that it has figured out a way to string a 500-kilovolt power line across Anza-Borrego Desert State Park without encroaching on the wilderness.
Dave Downey in North County Times – 06/28/07

Transmission line merits PUC approval
San Diego County's demand for electricity is surging at about double the rate of population growth. Two primary reasons for this are the proliferation of energy-consuming appliances, from wide-screen TVs to laptop computer chargers, and robust housing development in inland areas where air conditioning prompts a spike in summertime electricity use.
San Diego Union Tribune – 06/24/07

SDG&E: Consumer group plan 'crumbles under microscope'
San Diego County's electric utility went on the offensive Friday in defending its proposed power line, saying a consumer group's alternate plan for keeping the lights on is a collection of "Band-Aids and quick fixes" that won't significantly curb costs.
Dave Downey in North County Times – 06/16/07

Powerlink OK could fall to federal agency
The federal government could have the final say on whether to build the controversial Sunrise Powerlink power line under a proposal announced yesterday to designate San Diego County part of a key electric transmission corridor.
Keith Darcé and Craig D. Rose in San Diego Union Tribune – 04/27/07

Region targeted for 'national electric corridor'
The nation's top energy official on Thursday proposed naming a pair of "national interest electric transmission corridors," including one covering San Diego, Riverside and five other Southern California counties, as well as parts of Arizona and Nevada.
Dave Downey in North County Times – 04/27/07

Power line could affect climate change fight
While thousands of San Diego County residents have decried the controversial wires atop 150-foot poles that would stamp a large set of footprints across the landscape, some students of energy policy say the $1.3 billion project may help fight global warming.
Dave Downey in North County Times – 02/10/07

Utility industry vet finds his life's project: advocating Sunrise Powerlink
Jim Avery likes nothing better than a project. A get-your-hands-dirty, build-something-you-can-show project. And after a long career in the utility industry, Avery appears to have the project of his life.
Craig D. Rose in San Diego Union-Tribune – 10/10/06

Power congestion
Southern California cannot build power plants fast enough to meet the local demand for energy. The region's need to import power makes new transmission lines a critical priority for regulators and the public.
The Press-Enterprise – 08/16/06

Energy Dept. study cites critical needs
A Department of Energy study released yesterday concludes that Southern California's electricity grid is seriously congested, a finding that could move the federal government to override state regulators and rule on San Diego Gas & Electric Co.'s controversial proposal for a new power line from Imperial County.
Craig D. Rose in San Diego Union-Tribune – 08/09/06

Federal agency to designate national power line corridors
Energy officials are poised to make a move that would allow the federal government to step in and pave the way for a controversial power line to be built across North County.
Dave Downey in North County Times – 08/08/06

Report finds Powerlink viable, but its foes speak out
SDG&E's plan to build a $1.4 billion, 120-mile mega-power line from the Imperial Valley to North County is economically justified and needed to meet the demand for electricity in the region, a report prepared by analysts with the California Independent System Operator has concluded.
J. Harry Jones in San Diego Union-Tribune – 07/25/06

Labor, business leaders back power line
San Diego Gas & Electric Co.'s controversial Sunrise Powerlink transmission line received a public relations boost Monday when downtown San Diego, union and biochemical-industry leaders pledged support for the proposed $1.4 billion project.
Dave Downey in North County Times – 07/24/06

SDG&E, Imperial agree to team up; Sunrise line would bring power into S.D. County
San Diego Gas & Electric yesterday reached an agreement to team with the Imperial Irrigation District to work on the Sunrise Powerlink, a controversial 120-mile power line to bring power into San Diego County.
Craig D. Rose in San Diego Union-Tribune – 06/22/06

Where's the risk?
Scores of studies fail to show link between electromagnetic fields and cancer
Ever since a pair of Colorado researchers jolted the nation with a 1979 study that suggested power lines cause cancer, projects like San Diego Gas & Electric Co.'s proposed Sunrise Powerlink have sparked widespread alarm. But almost three decades later, scientists have yet to show a clear link between the electromagnetic fields that transmission lines create and leukemia, brain cancer, breast cancer or other types of cancer.
Dave Downey in North County Times – 05/06/06

Sunrise Powerlink to Connect Solar Energy to California Power Grid
The Sunrise Powerlink, a 120-mile new transmission line proposed by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) to connect the nation's largest solar energy facility to the California power grid, is supported by the Associated Business & Labor for Energy (ABLE), a California coalition composed of more than a dozen business and labor groups.
Renewable Energy Access – 04/11/06

Coalition supports SDG&E's Sunrise Powerlink transmission line
A newly formed coalition of California business and labor groups is backing San Diego Gas & Electric's proposed 120-mile Sunrise Powerlink electric transmission line, it was announced Wednesday.
North County Times wire services in North County Times – 04/05/06

SDG&E adds players to Sunrise team
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. is teaming up with the Imperial Irrigation District and Boston-based Citizens Energy Corp. on the proposed $1.4 billion, 120-mile Sunrise Powerlink transmission line that would run between Imperial County and Carmel Valley, an SDG&E official said Thursday.
Dave Downey in North County Times – 03/23/06

Here comes the Sunrise, but is it all right?
A shocking admission perhaps, but I don't know the difference between AC and DC. Earlier, I consulted my dictionary. The light switch did not go on. Alternating or direct current? I'm still in the dark.
Logan Jenkins in San Diego Union-Tribune – 03/23/06

Route chosen for controversial power line
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. [yesterday] specified a precise route for the controversial power line it proposes to build across Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and a large swath of the county's northern backcountry.
Craig D. Rose in San Diego Union-Tribune– 03/21/06

Is the Sunrise Power Link Needed?
There are a whole bunch of claims swirling around the Sunrise Power Link. They can't all be true because most of them are the opposite of each other.
Rich Caputo in Julian News – 02/01/06

Power line opposed by most of 400 attending
They came by the hundreds during a weekday afternoon to express their concerns about a proposed power line.
J. Harry Jones and Craig D. Rose in San Diego Union-Tribune – 02/01/06

Power line opponents pack hearing
An overflow crowd of more than 300 people jammed into a building at the Ramona fairgrounds Tuesday for the chance to learn about, and sound off on, a proposal to string giant, buzzing power lines across San Diego County's backcountry.
Dave Downey in North County Times – 02/01/06

Ramona hearing set for disputed power line plan
After pleas from local environmental activists and citizens groups, the California Public Utilities Commission has agreed to hold a hearing next week about a controversial electricity transmission line in Ramona rather than in San Francisco.
J. Harry Jones in San Diego Union-Tribune – 01/25/06

Environmental groups protest power line proposal
Two environmental groups filed a motion Friday with the state Public Utilities Commission against a proposed high-voltage transmission line from Imperial County to San Diego.
Willam Finn Bennett in North County Times – 01/20/06

'Sunrise' plan gets a stormy reception
SDG&E's power line generates opposition. They came to find out about a huge power line that many had just learned could be coming by their homes.
J. Harry Jones in San Diego Union-Tribune – 01/12/06

Proposed power line energizes opposition
SDG&E wants route through backcountry. The battle lines are being drawn, and they are far clearer than the route of a power line proposed by San Diego Gas & Electric Co.
J. Harry Jones in San Diego Union-Tribune – 01/11/06

SDG&E files to build line from Imperial Valley to S.D.
San Diego Gas & Electric filed a request with state regulators yesterday to build a major new transmission line through the Imperial Valley to San Diego County.
Terri Somers in San Diego Union-Tribune – 12/16/05

An early Christmas present for Julian?
Julian's Main Street was decked out in Christmas lights. Throw in a dusting of snow and you'd have a picture-perfect postcard.
Logan Jenkins in San Diego Union-Tribune – 12/15/05

SDG&E files Sunrise Powerlink application
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. filed an application Thursday to build a high-voltage power line called the Sunrise Powerlink. Quinn Eastman inNorth County Times – 12/15/05

Jacob opposes high-voltage line through Julian and Ramona
Responding to the concerns of constituents in Ramona and Julian, county Supervisor Dianne Jacob has declared her opposition to one proposed route for a high-voltage power line from Imperial County into North County.
Quinn Eastman in North County Times – 12/14/05

SDG&E holds power line meeting in Ramona
Ramona residents who want to find out if part of a proposed 120-mile string of high-power electrical lines from Imperial Valley might run through their community can get information about the plan at a meeting from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Ramona Community Center.
Gig Conaughton in North County Times – 12/03/05

SDG&E is powering up its sunny side
A handmade poster on the cafeteria wall at Ramona Elementary School urges students not to be playground bullies. You have to hand it to San Diego Gas & Electric.
Logan Jenkins in San Diego Union-Tribune – 11/17/05

SDG&E plotting new transmission line through region
SDG&E held its Sunrise Powerlink phase two workshop at the DoubleTree Resort in Rancho Penasquitos Monday as part of its effort to include the community in its quest to build a new transmission line by 2010.
Elizabeth Marie Hemchak in North County Times – 11/16/05

Julian may fight to keep power line away
San Diego Gas & Electric Co.'s new power-line system proposal won't be built anywhere near Julian, if a local citizens group has its way.
Bradley J. Fikes in North County Times – 11/15/05

SDG&E unveils new power line "corridors"
San Diego Gas & Electric officials unveiled a wide, triple-headed "corridor" Monday inside of which they hope to build a new "energy superhighway".
Gig Conaughton in North County Times – 11/14/05

Next round of SDG&E transmission line meetings starts Monday
On Monday, San Diego Gas & Electric Co. will start holding meetings showing potential corridors for its proposed Sunrise Powerlink transmission line.
Bradley J. Fikes in North County Times – 11/09/05

Friendly advice on how to make the sun rise on Sunrise
Thanks, Mr. Guiles, for taking time to skim this memo, which contains two pieces of advice.
Logan Jenkins in San Diego Union-Tribune – 10/05/05

SDG&E exploring power line options
A new power line that could be routed through local areas underwent scrutiny during a community workshop held by San Diego Gas and Electric this week in Rancho Penasquitos.
Andrew Good in Corridor News – 10/05/05

SDG&E's power link plans questioned in Ramona
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. wants to narrow the list of routes for a high-voltage power line it wants to construct between inland North County and Imperial Valley.
Quinn Eastman in North County Times – 10/03/05

SDG&E seeks public's help on power line route
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. wants the public's help to narrow the list of routes for a potentially controversial high-voltage power line between inland North County and the Imperial Valley.
Quinn Eastman in North County Times – 10/03/05

SDG&E promoting proposed Powerlink
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. is launching a road show Monday to tell the story of its proposed Sunrise Powerlink, a power line it wants to build that could cross the Ramona and backcountry areas.
Kathy Day in North County Times – 09/30/05

SDG&E plans public meetings about transmission line
San Diego Gas & Electric plans to begin an extensive public dialogue about building the Sunrise Powerlink, a proposed major new electric-transmission line between San Diego and Imperial Counties.
Elizabeth Malloy in The Daily Transcript – 09/29/05 (subscription required)

SDG&E agreed to purchase 300 megawatts of solar power from Imperial Valley facility
San Diego Gas & Electric agreed to purchase 300 megawatts of solar power, with the potential for another 600 megawatts, from a facility in the Imperial Valley, the company announced Wednesday.
North County Times – 09/07/05

Solar project proposed
The Imperial Valley has been named the site of a private energy project to build up to 36,000 solar dishes over three square miles of the desert to feed power to San Diego, it was announced this week.
Darren Simon in The Imperial Valley Press (subscription required)

SDG&E to buy solar electricity
San Diego Gas & Electric announced yesterday it had contracted with a Phoenix company to buy electricity from what could be the largest solar power generating project in the world.
Craig Rose in the San Diego Union-Tribune – 08/05/05

SDG&E unveils plan for new transmission line
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. announced plans Wednesday to stretch a major transmission line between North County and the Imperial Valley that could bring enough power to the area to light up more than 650,000 homes.
Edmond Jacoby in North County Times – 08/31/05

SDG&E plans 500-kV line to tap renewables, improve reliability
The new project, called the Sunrise Power link, will serve as an energy “superhighway” to dramatically improve reliability of the region’s transmission grid, said SDG&E. The line also will link the utility to available and potential renewable resources. The Sunrise Power link could import enough power to serve about 650,000 customers, according to the utility.
Platts' Electric Utility Week

SDG&E plans an east-west power line
San Diego Gas & Electric proposed yesterday to build a major east-west transmission line that it said would ensure regional electric reliability and allow it to tap renewable energy resources.
Craig Rose in the San Diego Union-Tribune – 09/01/05

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