California ISO Board Approves Sunrise/Greenpath Transmission Project; Power Line Gets Green Power on Grid and Brings Economic/Reliability Benefits.FOLSOM, Calif. -- The California Independent System Operator Corporation (California ISO (1) See ISO speed. (2) (International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iso.ch) An organization that sets international standards, founded in 1946. The U.S. member body is ANSI. ) Board of Governors today unanimously approved the Sunrise/Greenpath transmission project proposed jointly by San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. Gas and Electric (SDG&E), Imperial Irrigation irrigation, in agriculture, artificial watering of the land. Although used chiefly in regions with annual rainfall of less than 20 in. (51 cm), it is also used in wetter areas to grow certain crops, e.g., rice. District (IID IID Imperial Irrigation District (California) IID Interface Identifier (Component Object Model) IID Ignition Interlock Device (automotive security system) ) and Citizens Energy. The project will provide a vital "electricity on ramp" from the southeastern corner of the state to San Diego and the rest of the California grid. The combination 500-thousand/230-thousand volt transmission link will also provide access to hundreds of megawatts in renewable generation, bringing much-needed green power onto the grid. In approving the Sunrise/Greenpath project, the California ISO Board found it will lower costs for San Diego consumers and provide significant reliability benefits to San Diego, Imperial Valley and Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, in general by bolstering a weak link in the transmission network. The Board also found the Sunrise/Greenpath project will help deliver hundreds of megawatts of solar, geothermal and wind power proposed for development in Imperial County. Getting the green power on the grid will help utilities meet the state's requirement to procure or generate 20 percent of their power supply from renewable resources Noun 1. renewable resource - any natural resource (as wood or solar energy) that can be replenished naturally with the passage of time natural resource, natural resources - resources (actual and potential) supplied by nature by the year 2010. "As an independent grid planner, the California ISO takes a critical eye to every transmission project proposed -- making sure the investment is sound and responsible," said ISO Board Chair Mason Willrich. "We agree with our staff assessment that Sunrise/Greenpath provides a comprehensive solution that will strengthen the grid, provide economic and reliability benefits as well as access to renewable resources. The transmission grid can continue to perform as well as it did during last week's incredible heat wave only with the addition of projects like this." The California ISO Board approval is a significant step in the overall approval process for new transmission lines, but the Sunrise portion of this project also needs approval from the California Public Utilities Commission The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC; also often commonly referred to as simply the PUC) [1] is a state Public Utilities Commission which regulates privately-owned utilities in the state of California, including electric power, . The Greenpath portion needs approval from its local regulatory authority Noun 1. regulatory authority - a governmental agency that regulates businesses in the public interest regulatory agency administrative body, administrative unit - a unit with administrative responsibilities . These reviews will include analysis of environmental line-routing issues. The California ISO is a not-for-profit public benefit corporation charged with managing the flow of electricity along California's open-market wholesale power grid. The mission of the California ISO is to safeguard the reliable delivery of electricity, and ensure equal access to 25,000 circuit miles of "electron highway." As the impartial operator of the wholesale power grid in the state, the California ISO conducts a small portion of the bulk power markets. These markets are used to allocate space on the transmission lines, maintain operating reserves and match supply with demand in real time. |
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