Two Lines Approved in the Tehachapi Renewable Energy Transmission Project

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=47809

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved Southern California Edison's (SCE) application to build segments 2 and 3 of the Tehachapi Renewable Energy Transmission Project, part of SCE's five-year, $4.3-billion transmission expansion program designed to power Southern California into the future.

SCE has proposed constructing the Tehachapi project in 11 segments to coincide with the development of independently owned wind farms. SCE will file an application next June to build the remaining segments.

Segment 1 was approved by the CPUC on March 1 and is pending approval by the U.S. Forest Service. Segments 2 and 3 include four components: two new substations to be named Windhub and Highwind, located near Mojave and Monolith, a new, 25.6-mile, 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission line connecting SCE's existing Antelope Substation with the proposed Windhub Substation, and a new, 9.6-mile, 220 kV transmission line connecting Windhub Substation with Highwind Substation. The new line is expected to be operational in early 2009.

When all phases are developed, the Tehachapi project will include new, upgraded high-voltage transmission lines capable of delivering up to 4,500(a) megawatts (MW) of electricity from wind farms and other generating companies that are proposed for northern Los Angeles and eastern Kern counties.

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