Delayed Projects Risk Stalling Riverside’s Economic Engine

A quiet revolution has the potential to charge through the valleys of Riverside County.

A surge of progress that will help the power needs and drive a future of growth and innovation in one of California's fastest-developing regions.

But that future is on hold in Riverside County due to sitingand permitting delays.

Riverside Transmission Reliability Project

The Riverside Transmission Reliability Project, planned since 2006 and reviewed through California's thorough regulatory proceedings, continues to be stuck in a holding pattern, stalled unless the city council cooperates with Southern California Edison.

"The Riverside Transmission Reliability Project is vital to ensuring our city has reliable, sustainable and affordable electricity for generations to come," said Justin Scott-Coe, a Riverside resident and retired Riverside Public Utilities board member. "It must be allowed to move forward."

The Riverside Transmission Reliability Project is a second connection to the power grid and one that will bring renewable power to the region. It will also reduce the risk of outages.

The city needs a reliable and resilient electric system to keep up with its growth. That is why SCE, in partnership with Riverside Public Utilities, needs to build the Riverside Transmission Reliability Project. This 10-mile, double-circuit, 230-kilovolt transmission line will connect RPU's new substation to two existing SCE substations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The project is a second connection to the power grid and one that will bring renewable power to the region. It will also reduce the risk of outages like the one that affected the entire city in 2007.

Some residents, including people in the nearby city of Norco, objected to the overhead transmission lines and caused delays by insisting the lines be put underground, which would cost customers millions of dollars. The California Public Utilities Commission denied Norco's petition to modify the project.

Now, once the Riverside City Council cooperates, construction can begin later this year.

Alberhill System Project

South of the city of Riverside sits another major project integral to the region's future electric capacity and reliability.

SCE's proposed Alberhill System Projectwould supply reliable power to Southwestern Riverside County where the region's population has almost doubled every decade since the early 1990s.

"This project is critical to allowing Southern California Edison to satisfy the electricity demand and reliability needs from all neighboring communities," said Paul McCabe, senior advisor with SCE's Transmission and Distribution group. "It will support continued population growth in the area, improve reliability and provide important resiliency against threats such as climate change, wildfires and earthquakes and ensure reliable power delivery for decades."

SCE plans to build a new substation with two transmission lines, install three miles of new subtransmission lines and upgrade about 18 miles of subtransmission lines for the Alberhill Project.

Today, all power to the area flows through the Valley substation, the largest in SCE's service area. It is part of a system that includes smaller substations and power lines that operate in isolation from the rest of SCE's network. The configuration has become untenable because of the region's growth.

"For our business to continue to grow, we need a reliable source of power," said Danny Long, director of development at the Rancon Group. "It's far too risky to invest in expansion unless we know there will be reliable power well into the future."

SCE plans to build a new substation with two transmission lines, install three miles of new subtransmission lines and upgrade about 18 miles of subtransmission lines. The substation will be built in the Temescal Valley and will supply additional power to the region, significantly boosting capacity, enhancing reliability during unplanned outages and enabling greater flexibility for system maintenance.

"It's urgent that we receive the green light to complete the Alberhill System Project as soon as possible," said McCabe.

Following SCE's applicationto approve the Alberhill System Project, the CPUC neither approved nor denied the plan, and has requested an alternative approach. After the CPUC completes its review of SCE's adjusted project plan, a final decision should be made later this year.

To learn more about the Riverside Transmission Reliability Project, visit SCE's project page.

Additional information for the Alberhill Project can be found at the following CPUC website: Alberhill System Project.