Construction
In June 2012, major construction activities on the Sunrise Powerlink Project were completed. The line was energized on June 17, following a prolonged testing and completion phase.
The overhead portion of the Sunrise Powerlink is proceeded on schedule with the construction of towers and tower foundations in Eastern San Diego County and Imperial County.
Work is also progressed on the new Suncrest Substation, which is a critical facility for the project. Upgrades to the existing San Luis Rey, Encina and Imperial Valley substations were also completed.
The underground portion of the line through Alpine also progressed with the installation of vaults under Alpine Boulevard. The vaults allow for the installation of the 230-kilovolt electrical cable and provide access for maintenance of the cable connections. Workers have also installed cable, which is fed into a manhole and "pulled" by a special machine through underground conduits.
The USFS issued a Record of Decision on July 13, 2010 that allows for a 19-mile (31 km) segment of the line to be built through the Cleveland National Forest.
The Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) within the U.S. Department of the Interior issued a decision on May 14, 2010 rejecting the appeal filed by Backcountry Against Dumps (BAD) and other East County organizations. BAD sought to reverse the BLM's approval of the line.
"Because Backcountry has failed to establish any error of law or fact in the Record of Decision, we will affirm BLM's decision to approve the granting of Rights-of-Way to SDG&E for an electrical transmission line and related activity for the Sunrise Powerlink Transmission Project," the ruling stated.
The IBLA concluded that the BLM decision was consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act.
On December 9, 2010 ground was broken in Boulevard, California to mark the start of construction on the project's first tower. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was at the ground breaking ceremony, along with several other local government leaders. During the ceremony, Schwarzenegger said the Sunrise Powerlink project should serve as an example to the nation of how to build green infrastructure. "We are well on our way to be an example for the rest of the nation, especially when it comes to infrastructure," Schwarzenegger said.
Read more about this topic: Sunrise Powerlink
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