Independent Transmission Company Becomes Newest Member of California ISO Grid
The California Independent System Operator Corp.
(ISO) Board of Governors gave approval, Dec. 15, 2011, for Citizens
Sunrise Transmission, LLC to become an ISO participating transmission
owner. Citizens Sunrise is a wholly owned subsidiary of Citizens Energy
Corporation, a Boston, Massachusetts based non-profit energy company
founded in 1979 by Joseph P. Kennedy II.
As a part of joining the ISO, Citizens Sunrise
will turn over control of its portion of the Imperial Valley segment of
the Sunrise Powerlink to the ISO to operate. The remaining portion of
the 117-mile transmission project will already fall under ISO control
when it is completed because it is owned by San Diego Gas & Electric
Co.—an existing ISO member transmission company. Completion of the
$1.8 billion Sunrise Powerlink is expected in mid 2012.
The
500 kV transmission line is expected to add to the grid 1,000 MW of clean, green electricity from Imperial Valley solar, wind
and geothermal resources. The abundant green power is being sought after
by utilities to help meet California’s 33% renewables portfolio
standard. Citizens Sunrise’s portion of the line will go from the
existing Imperial Valley Substation to the Imperial County line.
The ISO now manages more than 35 percent of the
wholesale electricity flowing in the western interconnection that
includes 14 states along with portions of Canada and Mexico.
The
Sunrise Powerlink transmission project was identified as needed through
the ISO transmission planning process and was approved by the Board in
August 2006. Citizens Sunrise, through a development agreement with San
Diego Gas & Electric Co., has an option to lease half of the
Imperial County segment of the transmission project.
Upon
execution of the transmission control agreement and the Sunrise
Powerlink becoming operational, Citizens Sunrise will become an ISO
participating transmission owner subject to the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission accepting its transmission owner tariff and
transmission revenue requirement. Citizens Sunrise has advised that it
intends to file its transmission owner tariff and associated
transmission revenue requirement with FERC immediately.
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