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SDG&E Holds Sunrise Powerlink Groundbreaking Ceremony
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, SDG&E representatives and other officials joined about 500 invited guests for the official Sunrise Powerlink groundbreaking ceremony on December 9 at Rough Acres Ranch in Boulevard. The celebration marked the start of construction on the new 117-mile transmission line, which will enhance reliability, transport vast amounts of renewable energy and boost the local economy.
“This groundbreaking for the Sunrise Powerlink transmission line is absolutely momentous for SDG&E and our customers,” said Jessie J. Knight, Jr., chief executive officer of SDG&E. “This line will light our cities and towns by transporting up to 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy from the Imperial Valley to San Diego. That’s enough clean electricity for 650,000 homes.”
As a key supporter of the Sunrise Powerlink, Gov. Schwarzenegger hailed the project as a huge “win” for the people of California and an important addition to the state’s burgeoning green economy.
“The Imperial Valley, with its vast open space and rich resources, is a renewable energy gold mine,” said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “And the challenge, of course, is moving that power that we are creating here. You can have all the renewable energy in the world but if you don’t have the transmission lines you have nothing. So now, of course, we have the possibility to take this power now and to get it to the people, which is so important.”
Besides Gov. Schwarzenegger and Jessie Knight, other speakers at the event included Don Felsinger, chairman and CEO of Sempra Energy; Mike Niggli, president and COO of SDG&E; CPUC Commissioner Dian Grueneich; Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox; Imperial County Supervisor Gary Wyatt; and Joe Kennedy, chairman and president of Citizens Energy.
At the end of the remarks, the speaker contingent “bolted” a commemorative plaque onto a steel transmission tower bridge that will be used as part of Tower 194 on the Sunrise Powerlink. Gov. Schwarzenegger also met SDG&E crew members and pilots of the Sun Bird helicopter, which was on display at the groundbreaking and will be used to build more than 50 percent of the Sunrise Powerlink and help fight wildfires in the region.
The groundbreaking ceremony mark’s SDG&E move into the construction phase of the Sunrise Powerlink. After issuance of a Notice to Proceed from the California Public Utilities Commission, SDG&E began construction on the underground segment of the Sunrise Powerlink transmission line on November 29 in Alpine. Earlier this fall, SDG&E received authorization to begin construction on several preliminary components of the project, including substation upgrades, construction staging yards and field offices. The 117-mile transmission line is expected to be completed in 2012.
In addition to delivering emissions-free renewable energy, the project will open up new economic development opportunities, creating 400-500 local construction jobs and facilitating thousands of “green” jobs from associated renewable energy projects in the region. In total, Sunrise Powerlink construction will inject $1.7 billion directly into the U.S. economy.
