Line opponents' new reports cite fires
By: DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer
Focus on need for Sunrise power line to shift to environmental impacts, route | ∞
NORTH COUNTY -- Opponents of a power line proposed for the North County backcountry filed reports over the weekend charging that this fall's wildfires illustrated dramatically the need to scrap the $1.3 billion line.
The Utility Consumers' Action Network, a San Diego advocacy group, suggested that one of San Diego Gas & Electric Co.'s principal arguments for building the line -- that it would give San Diego County a more reliable power supply -- was undermined during the fires.
Late last month, blazes knocked out both of the existing major transmission lines that bring electricity into the county, including some of those along the coast that run through the San Onofre nuclear power plant, and all of the wires that come in from the east via the Southwest Powerlink near Interstate 8. Meanwhile, the 198,000-acre Witch Creek fire tore through the territory that would be crossed by the proposed Sunrise Powerlink wires.
Sunrise is a proposed 500-kilovolt transmission line that would feature wires strung from metal towers as tall as 150 feet along a 150-mile track from El Centro to San Diego that would cross Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Ramona.
The consumer group was among a dozen entities on Friday to file new reports, called briefs, with the California Public Utilities Commission in the long-running case to determine if the line should be built.
In one filing, David Lloyd, attorney for Cabrillo Power in Carlsbad, cited the wildfires. Lloyd said the firm is neutral on the project and will continue to be -- as long as it doesn't get in the way of efforts to replace aging San Diego County power plants. Cabrillo has proposed replacing its half-century-old, 965-megawatt gas-powered Encina plant.
Lloyd wrote that fires underscored the need to have a broad mix of electricity sources, including local power plants, and not to rely too heavily on power imported on wires that crisscross the fire-prone backcountry.
"It is a simple fact that wildfires are a reality for San Diego," Lloyd wrote. "It is clear from all of the public fire maps that the Sunrise line would have suffered the same fate as the Southwest Powerlink and the San Onofre transmission lines."
Jennifer Briscoe, a spokeswoman for San Diego Gas & Electric, said Monday that it is unclear what would have happened had the Sunrise line been in place during the fires, and more will be known once firefighting agencies complete reports on the blazes later this month.
But Briscoe said the utility stands behind its argument that the region would be better protected from blackouts by having three major transmission lines instead of two.
Besides the vulnerability to being knocked off line, conservationists said the fires illustrated the looming global warming threat.
Steven Siegel and Justin Augustine, staff attorneys for the Tucson, Ariz.-based environmental group Center for Biological Diversity, suggested the fires were a hint of what is to come with a changing climate fueled by the industrial production of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
"The firestorm that struck Southern California on Oct. 21, 2007, places an exclamation point over the importance of acting now to reduce the impact of global warming," the brief states.
Yet, the attorneys wrote, Sunrise Powerlink would make matters worse by paving the way for new coal-fired plants to be built in the Southwest to provide power for San Diego County. Coal plants tend to be large generators of greenhouse gases.
The utility, on the other hand, contends that the line would do just the opposite and substantially curb greenhouse gas emissions from natural-gas-fired plants by switching much of San Diego County's electricity base to solar, wind and geothermal plants. The utility faces a 2010 state mandate to secure 20 percent of its electricity from nonfossil-fuel sources such as solar. And it says Sunrise is key to meeting that target.
The local consumer group, however, maintains there is plenty of capacity in the existing 500-kilovolt Southwest Powerlink line along Interstate 8 to bring solar and wind electricity to the San Diego area.
"SDG&E's Field of Dreams argument -- if we don't build it, they won't come -- fails in a number of ways," wrote Michael Shames, Utility Consumers' Action Network executive director, in the group's brief.
The latest filings focus on the need for the Sunrise line. The period for filing briefs capsulizing the months of testimony to date opened on Friday and will close Nov. 30.
-- Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (760) 745-6611, Ext. 2623, or ddowney@nctimes.com.
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Scotty wrote on Nov 13, 2007 12:38 AM:Both sides in the argument are failing to address one simple fact. The transmission lines did not fall victim to the fires. They CAUSED the fires. The power lines withstood the high winds, but swaying wires touched and arced, sending streams of sparks into dry brush. SDG&E's solution is to string more sources of ignition through the chapparel. The State and PUC must tailor policies to encourage local generation. We do not need these dangerous extension cords that are hundreds of miles from the generation source.
Sparky wrote on Nov 13, 2007 3:33 AM:I've witnessed arcing power lines on my own little homesite. It's pretty scary and brings SDG&E out on a moments' notice. I defer to Scotty on this one.
Slappy wrote on Nov 13, 2007 5:52 AM:Scotty, transmission lines do not sway together. you are thinking of distribution lines.
Howiek wrote on Nov 13, 2007 6:05 AM:More local power plants huh? Great, but not where I can either see them, smell them, or hear them! North County and South County would be great places to put them—NOT East County! And the other solutions are?
Engineer Bill: wrote on Nov 13, 2007 6:17 AM: The fires are no reason to abandon plans for better electrical power supply facilities. If we stop to progress we are done for. The sunrise line must be built taking into consideration all the elements that will be acting upon it, including high winds. High winds blowing down power lines caused the most of our recent fires. When mechanical things are designed the engineers takes into account, or are supposed to take into account, stress factors that can come into play that the device must withstand. In this case the stress caused by high winds. And it does not end there. The engineers must look to the future and take into account deterioration of the device due to the other elements such as heat, cold, humidity or the lack of it, and corrosion over time just to mention a few. The engineers must devise acceptable and unacceptable limits of deterioration and an inspection system to determine the extent of deterioration. And mandatory replacement must be spelled out for those devices where the deterioration has exceeded those limits. I am sure that San Diego county has experienced much higher winds many times. Isn't it amazing that all those power lines failed at the same time? What were their condition? Why did they fail? What can we do in the future to prevent other wildfires? What we need right now is answers. Infrastructure should be a main topic during the up coming elections, as it was a few years ago, and this time something must be done. If we don't the wildfires of 2007 will be mild to what we can expect. Humidity at 2 percent will happen again along with high winds and the Sunrise line must be designed accordingly. The Sunrise line should happen, but pity the poor people that live near it if it isn't built and maintained to withstand, and the area around it isn't maintained free of burnable matter.
To Engineer Bill wrote on Nov 13, 2007 8:48 AM:Your comments are thoughtful, but your conclusion does not ring true. If adequate engineering and planning and maintenance on the part of SDG&E/Sempra worked, then we would not have these most recent fires (Rice and Witch). If you trust them to design a structure free of fire hazard, look at their track record in the east county -- it's abysmal. Power needs to be generated locally, not imported.
Very logical, Right wrote on Nov 13, 2007 9:26 AM:Power lines caused a couple fires so let's get rid of all power lines and go back to the stone age. It is amazing how some will use any disaster to further their illogical cause. You forgot to mention the lack of air response, helicopters and airplanes sitting on the ground when needed most. If you are so against bringing power in, stop using it and let those of us that want to be in the modern age use it. If all that don't want these lines stopped using the power there would be more and the lines may not be needed. You all sound so comitted, step up and cut the line.
I dont care one way or another wrote on Nov 13, 2007 10:29 AM:Knowing that summer will come, and there might not be enough energy or transmission capacity unless we improve our capacity. I have a 3500 watt generator that will keep my lights, refrigerator, and bedroom airconditioner running. When power outages become common, those that have been reluctant will change their tune. and heaven help those elderly who will suffer, Sign me Save the Chapparal, desert sand, and Friend of the fish.
Vista Resident wrote on Nov 13, 2007 11:23 AM:I wish that we could have a general election vote on which way to proceed. After all, the public will be paying for this investment. I expect that the people of this area would choose an investment in solar rooftops and other locally renewable energy sources. Solar is produced right here so it's under our control -- not under the laws of Mexico. Solar generates good energy in the summer when we need it most. But, at least we have the California Public Utilities Commission looking out for the public's interest. Or, will they?
Scotty wrote on Nov 13, 2007 1:09 PM:Back to the stone age? No, we have to move into the 21st century and into rooftop solar shingles. Thats what I meant by local power generation. We need public interest public policy to get this fossil fuel dinosaur off our backs. Do you want Sempra Energy lobbyists determining our energy future? They'll keep us 'strung out' on transmission lines forever or until they find a way to meter the sun. The systemic failure of the grid system is indicitive of basic design flaws.
We Need Renewable Energy wrote on Nov 13, 2007 3:13 PM:not more power transmission lines or fossil fuel power plants. Solar, geothermal & wind power are the future - as is conservation. Politicians need to quit approving building projects that drain our water & power resources. When will the public realize that the so-called "power crisis" was manufactured by the utilities so they could increase their rates & bypass environmental regulations on new power plants/transmission lines. SDG&E/Sempra earned $9.2 BILLION in 2004 & $11.8 BILLION in 2006 - maybe they should spend some of that on fixing their existing infrastructure & not on lobbyists.
just build it wrote on Nov 13, 2007 3:16 PM:we need it. we have too many people here in socal
New Fangled gadgets wrote on Nov 13, 2007 5:46 PM:I remember the days when there was no electricity. We used gas lamps and kerosene and we were happy! Nowdays everyone likes their gadgets and geegaws. We need more old timey values I tell ya.
Jim wrote on Nov 13, 2007 6:48 PM:I live on a hill overlooking all of Escondido. My view is from the west, looking toward the east. I live up off Ross Drive on Ginger Way. I can see all of it. On that hot and very windy and dry night, I was seeing extremely bright arcs and flashes of light periodically, sometimes just a few seconds apart, especially in the east part of the city. The flashes were three to five miles from me, yet they were so bright, it was like a lightning strike, and I could see my shadow on the livingroom wall when it happened. Either wires were touching or transformers were blowing. It was an incredible sight.
Back Country wrote on Nov 14, 2007 11:57 AM:The backcountry is EVERYONE's back yard, the 2003 and 2007 fires have proved that. For the safety of all that live in San Diego County, keep the lines out of the east county!! The Santa Ana winds are nothing new, wake up SDG&E there has to be a better solution !!
fact wrote on Nov 16, 2007 9:16 AM:The transmission lines did not cause the fires they are to tall and the wires have to be seperated due to the high voltage. The distribution lines may have caused the fires, but the report's not in yet. Lets just turn the power off when there is a santa anna wind, That would guarantee the transmission or distribution lines will not cause a fire in the future. Oh by the way, water pumps run on electricity.
Realistic wrote on Nov 22, 2007 7:50 AM:The 69 kv line in Witch Creek caused the fire by lines touching together. This is the EXACT route that SDG&E wants to place Sunrise. The line would have been taken out by the fire. No one is considering how these massive lines would have altered fire fighting efforts. CalFires own pilots have said they cannot drop directly on the lines and have to work around it. With the smoke conducting to the lines and the lines arcing, hand crews and dozers have to stay away from the lines. NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safey and Health) minimum requirement for distance away from downed lines for firefighters equal to the span between two poles. With these towers that is 2000 feet!!! For the safety of all of San Diego County these lines need to be kept out of east county !!
Other sources wrote on Nov 26, 2007 9:59 AM:The PUC should review the application for Sunrise Power Link completely, and then reject it as at the least, being in great peril due to its placement, or at the most, increasing our chances of fire into our region. There are many other ways to produce the needed energy. SDG & E (SEMPRA) is ignoring them all. One of the most interesting ways to capture energy is solar, yet the utility company will not pay for excess power generated that way - the excess is eliminated, cancelled, similar to the old methods with cell-phones. They have given no real incentive for the use of solar power, the only incentive is on the purchasing side. If SEMPRA were serious, they would create a rebate program and give paybeck for true excess power created. I thought that every utility had to purchase back the commodity they sold at the street price. Payback on solar is forever and a day ! The life of the systems vary, but the payback calcs seem to equal the life of the systems. Then we have the power plants that SDG & E are planning to decommission, like Encina, that could be brought up-to-date. Without Encina, during the fires, we would have been out of power, since the existing power line went down. Then there is also the initiative for the Nuclear Power generator #4 (5 have been approved), which is being circulated for signatures, as well as the final space at San Onofre being used as a desal plant (powered by #4). Give the people of California a fighting chance.
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