NORTH COUNTY —— 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.
The company has proposed a transmission line that could carry power from Imperial County and Mexico, where energy would be produced from alternative sources such as solar energy farms, geothermal plants and natural gas generators, to customers in the San Diego region. The line, which could take five to seven years from proposal to completion, could move enough power for 1 million homes.
Although company officials say no route has been identified, they have set up a series of "working group sessions" and "neighborhood open houses" to get people talking about what the line would accomplish and where it might go. The first meetings will be held Monday in Rancho Penasquitos and on Wednesday in Ramona.
"We want to get input on a route beforehand," said SDG&E spokeswoman Stephanie Donovan.
Utility officials have said they want to present the plans to the state's Public Utility Commission by the middle of 2006.
They say the link is needed to improve reliability of electricity transmission in the region and would help reduce costs for consumers by providing access to renewable energy sources. Cleveland National Forest, Anza-Borrego State Park, several American Indian reservations and Bureau of Land Management properties are all in the prospective path of the project.
Officials representing those lands as well as community leaders and representatives of groups such as the Sierra Club and the Utility Consumers Action Network have also been invited to next week's workshops.
The public is also welcome, although the second set of meetings will be directed more to residents in areas likely to be affected if the power line is built, Donovan said.
The meetings, announced in a press release late Thursday, are also being advertised in newspapers, including the North County Times, and via notices at libraries and community centers. About 150 invitations were mailed out.
Next week's meetings will include presentations from Laura McDonald, project manager, and Jim Avery, senior vice president for SDG&E electricity operations. They will discuss the preliminary plans and lead an interactive session, Donovan said, adding that if necessary they will break into smaller discussion groups.
At meetings later this month, to be held in Ramona, Valley Center, Borrego Springs and Scripps Ranch, SDG&E will set up stations with information ranging from environmental to engineering issues that will give details on the process and maps showing options. Donovan said residents will also have an opportunity to get a map printed out that will show, through global positioning information, where their homes are located in relation to the proposed route.
Another round of meetings is slated for November.
Michael Shames of the utility consumers group said he will attend and plans "to focus on why they want to build a 500-kilovolt line through Anza Borrego State Park." He said he wants to know why alternatives are not being pursued.
Working Group Sessions
Doubletree Golf Resort, 14455 Peasquitos Drive, Rancho Penasquitos
Ramona Elementary School multipurpose room, 415 8th St., Ramona
Neighborhood Open Houses
Scripps Miramar Ranch Library, 10301 Scripps Lake Drive, Scripps Ranch
Valley Center Community Center, 28246 Lilac Road, Valley Center
Borrego Springs Resort, 1112 Tilting T Drive, Borrego Springs
Ramona Community Center, 434 Aqua Lane, Ramona
Those who cannot attend can call (877) 775-6818 for information or to give their opinions on the project.
Contact staff writer Kathy Day at (760) 740-5417 or e-mail kday@nctimes.com.
Posted in Business on Saturday, October 1, 2005 12:00 am
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