SAN DIEGO, June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today approved San Diego Gas & Electric's (SDG&E) East County (ECO) Substation Project, a development that involves two electric substations along SDG&E's Southwest Powerlink transmission line that will help boost electric reliability in the region and accommodate the delivery of wind, solar and geothermal power to utility customers.

In total, the approximately $435 million venture will include a new 58-acre, 500/230/138 kV substation in Jacumba, Calif., and the reconstruction and modernization of an existing fifty year old substation in the town of Boulevard, Calif. The two electric substations will be interconnected by a 14-mile 138-Kilovolt transmission line. Construction is expected to begin later this year.

"The backbone of our electric system is the transmission grid and adding the ECO substation will substantively improve reliability for east county San Diego residents and facilitate the delivery of more clean, renewable energy to our customers throughout the region," said Michael R. Niggli, SDG&E's president and chief operating officer. 

There are approximately 1,700 megawatts of proposed renewable energy projects proposed to interconnect at the ECO and Boulevard substations. The initial build out of the ECO substation project will accommodate a total of approximately 1,100 MW of fully deliverable renewable resources.

The electric infrastructure project will improve reliability in Jacumba, Boulevard, parts of the Campo and La Posta Indian Reservations, Manzanita, Bankhead Springs and Live Oak Springs. It will create between 100 and 200 construction jobs over two years.  

SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 850,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility's area spans 4,100 square miles. SDG&E is committed to creating ways to help customers save energy and money every day. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.

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SOURCE SDG&E