PG&E’s plan to build a new electricity substation and two new transmission lines in South County has been put on hold due to a state authority’s decision to “reassess” the proposed project, according to a spokeswoman for the utility company.
Opposition to the project, known as South County Power Connect, has mounted in recent town hall meetings throughout South County.
But last week, the California Independent System Operator decided to re-evaluate projects throughout the state that have been “previously approved,” including South County Power Connect, said Nicole Liebelt of PG&E.
PG&E officials do not know how long the CAISO’s re-evaluation of the projects will take, so the utility company will be “postponing updates on our ongoing studies, originally planned for early this year, until the CAISO has finished its evaluation,” Liebelt added.
South County Power Connect has drawn criticism and activism from South County residents, businesses and public officials in recent weeks due to the project’s proposed new electricity substation.
During its public outreach process on the vast project, slated to improve the reliability of the region’s electrical grid, PG&E staff presented eight possible sites for the new substation. Five of these sites were identified in rural unincorporated areas, surrounded by wineries and quiet hillsides full of wildlife, according to the project’s opponents.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman joined a list of residents, business owners and organizations when he stated his opposition to PG&E building a substation on any of the five rural sites. Also formally opposing the rural substation proposal are the Santa Clara Valley Wineries Association, Santa Clara County Farm Bureau and the Coastal Habitat Education and Environmental Restoration organization.
PG&E was slated to narrow down the proposal to a single preferred substation site and two alternatives this month. But that decision is delayed indefinitely with CAISO’s decision to re-evaluate the project.
An existing substation on West Main Avenue just outside downtown Morgan Hill is one of the alternatives on the list of eight possible substation sites. Opponents of a rural location have said this site makes the most sense for a new substation.
CAISO is an independent nonprofit that oversees the operation of the state’s electricity system.
PG&E still has not gained approval for South County Power Connect from the California Public Utilities Commission, the state agency tasked with approving or denying such proposals.
