The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved Southern California Edison's (SCE) application to build segment one of the Tehachapi renewable transmission project.
When all phases are developed, the Tehachapi project will include a series of new and upgraded high-voltage transmission lines capable of delivering 4,500 MW of electricity from wind farms and other generating companies that are proposed for northern Los Angeles and eastern Kern counties, SCE says.
SCE has proposed constructing the project in 11 segments to coincide with the development of independently owned wind farms, the company says. CPUC's decision approves the first of three segments referred to as the Antelope project - pending approval by the U.S. Forest Service. The first segment includes the construction of a 26-mile, 500 kV transmission line connecting SCE's Antelope Substation in Lancaster with the utility's Pardee Substation in Santa Clarita.
A CPUC decision on segments two and three is expected later this month, the company adds. Prior to seeking CPUC's approval, SCE received the okay from the California Independent System Operator Corp., a nonprofit corporation that oversees California's wholesale power grid.
