Silicon Valley Power, the city of Santa Clara's (California, U.S.) municipal electric utility, officially began construction on a 230-kV transmission line. Owned and operated by the city, the new line is designed to significantly increase its ability to reliably move power in and out of Santa Clara, a demand that is expected to intensify in the coming years as energy consumption in Silicon Valley increases.

At a groundbreaking ceremony held at the new Silicon Valley Power Switching Yard, Santa Clara City Mayor Patricia Mahan said, “Recent blackout events on the East Coast, and then Italy, remind us not to take our favorable power situation for granted. The Northern Receiving Station 230-kV Transmission Project is an important component of our proactive effort to maintain highly reliable power at low and stable rates.”

The 230-kV transmission project, part of the public utility's US$200 million capacity upgrade plan, is a 4-mile-long (6.4-km) combination overhead and underground transmission line between Silicon Valley Power's Northern Receiving Station and the new Los Esteros electrical transmission/distribution substation recently constructed in North San Jose by PG&E. The underground portion of the route primarily follows existing easements along Lafayette Street north of Highway 101 and moves above ground along Highway 237. The route circumvents areas of environmental concern and reduces environmental impacts by locating sections of the line away from the wetlands.

The Santa Clara City Council approved plans for the new transmission line following a Silicon Valley Power forecast, which showed that area power consumption will exceed current transmission capability to bring power from generators into Santa Clara within the next three to five years. Earlier this year, Terry Winter, president and CEO of the California Independent Systems Operator, told a U.S. Congress subcommittee, “…we need more generation, but even more than that, we need transmission infrastructure.”

When completed in late 2004, the SVP Transmission Line will increase area power transmission capacity from 550 MW to 800 MW.
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