SDG&E Substation Plans in East County Approved

The California Public Utilities Commission Thursday approved San Diego Gas & Electric’s East County substation project, a development that involves two electric substations along the utility’s Southwest Powerlink transmission line.

The $435 million project will include a new 58-acre substation in Jacumba and refurbishing of an existing 50-year-old plant in Boulevard, both on the eastern edge of San Diego County.

“The backbone of our electric system is the transmission grid and adding the substation will substantively improve reliability for East County San Diego residents and facilitate the delivery of more clean, renewable energy to our customers throughout the region,” said Michael Niggli, the utility’s president and CEO.

SDG&E has around 1,700 megawatts of proposed renewable energy projects set to connect into the Jacumba and Boulevard substations. The utility believes the plans will improve power reliability for customers in those communities, plus Manzanita, Live Oak Springs, and parts of the Campo and La Posta Indian Reservations.

Construction, which is expected to create between 100 and 200 jobs, is scheduled to begin later this year, according to SDG&E.

-City News Service