STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

Pacific Gas and Electric Company's
Moraga-Oakland X 115 kV Rebuild Project

Application A.24-11-005, filed November 15, 2024

This page was last updated: January 2025

Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the environmental review of Pacific Gas and Electric Company's (PG&E's) Moraga-Oakland X 115 kV Rebuild Project (MOX Project).

The Project is located in in the City of Orinda, unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County, and the cities of Oakland and Piedmont within Alameda County, California; a map is provided here. PG&E submitted a Permit to Construct (PTC) application for the Project to the CPUC on November 15, 2024 (Application A.24-11-005). If approved by the CPUC, the Project is anticipated to begin construction in August 2028. The estimated Project completion date is July 2031.

The proposed Project will be reviewed under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The CPUC will prepare a CEQA environmental document as the CEQA lead agency. This website provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA environmental review process. An overview of the proposed Project is provided below:

CPUC Review Process

Click here for more information about the CPUC’s decision and review process.

Click here for CPUC’s Proceeding page.

For additional information on the CPUC proceeding, contact the Public Advisor's Office.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT

According to PG&E, the purpose of the Project is to replace power line equipment that has reached the end of its useful life for safe operation of the lines. The objectives of the project are:

• Provide lifecycle updates of Moraga–Oakland X 115 kV four circuit power line path by removing and replacing four circuits to avoid future reliability issues while maintaining safe operations.

• Replace four project power line circuits using a larger size conductor that will accommodate the region’s reasonably foreseeable future energy demands.

• Ensure the project at completion meets power line reliability and safety requirements, and industry standards.

• Construct a safe, economical, and technically feasible project that minimizes environmental and community impacts.

The Project would involve proposed upgrades to approximately 5-miles of four overhead 115 kV power lines between Moraga and Oakland X substations in the City of Orinda, unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County, and the cities of Oakland and Piedmont within Alameda County. The two existing parallel double-circuit power lines are located within existing PG&E land rights, and the Project would rebuild the four overhead lines into four hybrid lines, with both overhead (~4 miles) and underground (~1 mile) segments.

Existing towers, poles and conductors would be replaced either with overhead rebuild or underground components, and minor modifications would occur within the existing substations. Some recently replaced power line structures would be reused or reused with some modification. Single circuit transition structures would support the connection between the overhead and underground portions of each line. Double-circuit transition structures would be used to connect the underground portion to existing overhead line terminals at Oakland X Substation. Additionally, the rebuild would include the installation of optical ground wire on aboveground structures with a communication cable continuing within the underground portion.

Detail of PG&E's proposal is provided in Chapter 3 of PG&E’s Proponent’s Environmental Assessment (PEA).

PG&E’s Community Wildfire Safety Program

A link for more information on PG&E’s Community Wildfire Safety Program, including its Wildfire Mitigation Plan, can be found here. Work under the Program is independent of the proposed Project and includes undergrounding powerlines; system hardening; enhancing powerline safety settings; reducing impacts from Public Safety Power Shutoffs; and managing trees and vegetation near powerlines.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW

Proponent's Environmental Assessment (PEA) and Application

PG&E filed an application and PEA for the MOX Project on November 15, 2024.

CPUC Application Review, Data Requests, and Applicant Responses

The CPUC has reviewed PG&E's application and PEA, and on December 12, 2024, determined that the application and PEA are complete. The CPUC submitted the following data requests to PG&E regarding their application information.

CPUC Completeness Letter and Data Request 1
CPUC Data Request 2	PG&E Response to Data Request 2; Data Request 2 AES-2 Figures
CPUC Data Request 3

Project Scoping

The environmental review process for the MOX Project is underway, and the CEQA environmental document is being prepared. The CEQA environmental document is expected to be published in mid-2025.

Preparation of the CEQA Environmental Document

The environmental review process for the MOX Project is underway, and the CEQA environmental document is being prepared. The CEQA environmental document is expected to be published in mid-2025.

COMMENTS & QUESTIONS

If you have comments, complaints, or questions regarding the Project, please contact us using the CPUC's MOX Project email or leave a message on the Project voicemail, as follows:

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