Power line not needed, report says
By: DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer | ∞
A 150-mile power line through the backcountry won't be needed to keep the lights on in San Diego County until 2015, five years after the county's utility says the region will face an electricity shortage, a state agency has concluded.
The Division of Ratepayer Advocates, an agency within the California Public Utilities Commission that reviews utility projects on consumers' behalf, has concluded in a new report that enough steps already have been taken to plug a forecasted shortfall for 2010 without the superhighway of electricity.
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. is proposing to build the $1.3 billion from El Centro to San Diego. The line is strongly opposed by environmental groups and people who live along the route, which would wind through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Santa Ysabel, Ramona and Rancho Penasquitos.
The Public Utilities Commission, a regulatory agency, is analyzing the project's potential impacts and preparing to hold hearings in July. It is scheduled to decide whether to issue a license for the line's construction in January 2008.
The 2010 shortfall is projected by the utility to reach 250 megawatts, enough power to keep the lights on in as many as 250,000 homes.
Steps to plug that gap include the utility's plan to begin next year rolling out state-of-the-art meters that curb consumption in summer peak hours and its signing this month of contracts to build small power plants that crank up during such peak periods.
San Diego Gas & Electric officials said the utility is simply taking prudent steps to boost supplies while it awaits a decision on Sunrise, and its efforts do not negate the need for Sunrise.
The report strongly disagrees.
"Sunrise is clearly not needed to meet any of its stated objectives, including the critical goal of providing reliable service in San Diego," the report states. "DRA is not convinced that Sunrise is the best alternative for meeting such goals -- or even that Sunrise's benefits will exceed its costs."
But San Diego Gas & Electric maintains that the power line, known as Sunrise Powerlink, would prevent outages, reduce power costs and open a way for electricity generated by non-fossil-fuel sources, such as solar and geothermal energy, in the Imperial Valley to flow to San Diego County homes.
"Sunrise is a long-term solution to the energy future of our region," said Stephanie Donovan, a spokeswoman for the utility company. "The Sunrise Powerlink continues to be the only proposed alternative that has been put on the table at this point that provides reliability, accessibility to renewables and reduces overall cost for customers."
The report also questions the utility's claim that the transmission project line would save regional electric customers collectively more than $100 million a year.
"Sunrise should not be assumed to yield significant reductions in energy costs," the report states.
Utility officials stand by their savings estimates, Donovan said.
On the plus side for San Diego Gas & Electric, the report said Phoenix-based Stirling Energy Systems is on track to succeed with its plans to build a giant solar plant in the desert. The utility has been banking in part on a contract that calls for Stirling to ship 300 megawatts initially, and eventually 900, to San Diego County via the power line. The line's capacity would be 1,000 megawatts -- equal to one-fifth of the region's current supply.
"There is no reason, at this date, to expect that SES (Stirling) will not be able to obtain necessary permits and land access, and supply sufficient quantities of solar generation at expected costs to meet their contractual obligations with SDG&E," the report states.
The report, containing 196 pages of testimony from several U.S. and Canadian energy consultants hired by the division to analyze Sunrise, was filed late Friday night with the Public Utilities Commission.
It is one of several reports the commission will consult on its way to deciding, by January, whether to issue a license to build the power line.
For now, said Scott Logan, senior regulatory analyst, the agency has not decided to oppose the project.
"We're not saying thumbs down flat out in this round of testimony," Logan said.
Donovan said the agency's testimony needed to be kept "in perspective. The Division of Ratepayer Advocates is just one of many agencies that are reviewing this project. The DRA is just one voice that is weighing in."
The California Independent System Operator, which oversees the state's power grid, weighed in earlier. The independent agency concluded last year that Sunrise would provide benefits for the utility's customers and electric ratepayers throughout California. The utility serves all of San Diego County and southern Orange County.
In a related matter, the Public Utilities Commission announced in letters over the weekend it is studying a modified alternate route for Sunrise. It is part of a route that would circumvent Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to the south along Interstate 8 and arc north through the mountains of East County to Warner Springs, site of a proposed substation.
The modified portion of the route would circle south of I-8 at one point, to avoid a wilderness area in the Cleveland National Forest.
-- Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (760) 740-5442 or ddowney@nctimes.com.
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Maybe wrote on May 21, 2007 9:34 PM:Just maybe... SDG&E won't be able to ram this down our throats. I would stop using my dishwasher and dry my clothes outside to save power and keep the wilderness wild.
Reardon wrote on May 21, 2007 9:36 PM:We could gain a bit more time by taking Borrego Springs off of all electrical grids. Since they don't want the Sunrise system anywhere near them, they obviously do not need the benefits of it either
Great wrote on May 22, 2007 12:56 AM:After all the debate, all the bullying that SDG&E did to put in this line no matter what. Some environmentalist comes along and says, "nah, we don't need it" and the project comes to screeching halt. That's fine, I am all for not putting up unsightly wires through those areas, but what really makes steam come out of my ears is why do these environmentalist's have so much power. Who do they think they are. They bring every project, good or bad, to a halt, sometimes a idea or project gets scrapped altogether. I mean seriously, every project just stops when they open there mouth. Who are these people, and why do they have such a commanding voice. They are like a cult that everyone bows to. They are stoping the fence between Mexico & California, they stoped the airport expansion, they delayed the Sprinter, San Luis Ray development, on and on, everything stops at them. This has to be researched. Who has given these people so much power, that just one word out of them, (N0) and the project is delayed or thrown out indefinitely. Kinda scary, and very annoying if you ask me.
To Reardon wrote on May 22, 2007 4:31 AM:Poor baby!
Greenie wrote on May 22, 2007 4:41 AM:I haven't repaired my broken dishwasher for a couple of years and my clothes have been line-dried for the last 57. POWER has more than one definition. It all depends on which one has the strongest hold on us.
Johnny wrote on May 22, 2007 4:47 AM:Where there is big money, there is a way. Ask the gasoline distributors in the San Diego area. People can be bought off by cash payments under the table.
Jeff wrote on May 22, 2007 6:16 AM:In all the articles I have read about this, I never see discussion of why power can't be produced locally by smaller plants. Let Phoenix and Las Vegas use the solar. We should produce our power HERE.
get informed wrote on May 22, 2007 6:26 AM:Most of what people "know" about this, including, reporters is what Sempra wants you to know. UCAN and the POWER PRODUCERS in san diego are also against this. So is anyone who supports the regional power plan. THis project breaks the regional power plan's back at the expense of the taxpayer.
Harvey wrote on May 22, 2007 8:05 AM:If SDG&E would help to subsidize the installation of solar systems they would not need the link. Between the state rebate and credits from SDG&E im shure more people would install solar systems. The problem is the state rebates should be raised to there original levels.SDG&E should match the rebate. Imagine what 1 billion dollars would buy.
skeptic wrote on May 22, 2007 9:43 AM:Couldn't all of the energy produced by Stirling (if and when it is produced) currently fit on the Southwest Powerlink? Why do they need a substation all the way in Warner Springs if this is meant to get power to San Diego? Even if they go south of the 8, they then insist on snaking all the way back up to Warner Springs? Why? Could this be related to the potential real estate/building boom that would make Warner the next Temecula? Or is it just a lot closer to L.A.?
Enviromentalist will solve the problem wrote on May 22, 2007 10:08 AM:All you whiners who complain about enviromentalist are getting great benefits from what we are doing. Enviromentalists are on the forefront of conservation, while you are running your dishwasher and driving your SUV on a 2 hour commute, solo, from Temecula to downtown San Diego, envormentalists are saving energy. I put my money where my mouth is, I got solar electricity, I USE ZERO POWER OFF THE GRID. Your welcome.
Wondering wrote on May 22, 2007 10:26 AM:if the lowly ratepayer isn't the one who is going to pay for this "wonderful" Sunrise miracle. As usual, if they are going to "save" us money, it'll cost the ratepayer a lot more at the "get go".
To Harvey wrote on May 22, 2007 10:30 AM:I've had the same thought. I looked into installing a solar system as home and the cost was about $20,000. This power line is estimated at $1.3 billion which translates to about 65,000 homes at retail prices. I'm sure SDG&E would get significant discounts - couple that with rebates and I'm sure they could install systems on 200,000 to 300,000 homes or more. They could even partner with the home owners to kick in a percentage of the install cost in return for a reduction in electic rates. At $20,000 I can't afford to install solar but if they dropped the price to $5,000 it would be doable. If they added a rate discount, I would jump at it!
Joe wrote on May 22, 2007 11:11 AM:OK, so they're only saying it won't be needed until 2015. Then what? Won't there be more people who will settle on the right-of-way, who will cause more stink? And then the clamor will begin again? If you don't want it "in my backyard", then don't move here. Go away.
Nancy wrote on May 22, 2007 12:01 PM:If Solar Energy is so good, why aren't all building and houses built with the panels so we could use less electricity! Is it because all the electric companies would be out of work?
Estelle wrote on May 22, 2007 1:00 PM:Al Gore may be the one to ask about this. But wait. His mansions. Airconditioning. Pools. Spas. Forget I mentioned it.
think wrote on May 22, 2007 2:55 PM:Most of you comments have totally missed the issue. Sunrise is a project to benefit Sempra, NOT the ratepayers. Screw the enviroment and NIMBYs, but watch out because if you are on the grid you are about to get ENRONed. Find out why the Utilities Consumers' Action Network and the POWER PRODUCERS (other than Sempra) think sunrise is a sham.
Don wrote on May 23, 2007 1:51 AM:Build Sunrise now! It will be needed soon and will cost a lot more if done years later.The agency produing thae report opposes everything, thats what they get the big bucks for. The agencys whose job is to provide reliable economical power are for the power line. Redundancy is necessary for assured supply. Sometimes power plants break down, Sometimes power lines get knocked down. Peaker plants can be started and stopped on short notice, but cost more to operate and make lots more CO2 per unit of electricity than large compound cycle plants which cost $700 million or more. Who will build billion $ plants way out there without an assured power line? Nobody! Solar does not make power at night. Windmills did not work during the hotest days and nights. somebody opposes nuclear, dams, windmills, power lines, gas turbine plants, coal fired plants, dams, etc. We need 18 more major power plants in California right now ASAP. Build it now!
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