Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of the proposed LS Power Grid California, LLC (LSPGC) Power the South Bay Project (Project). LSPGC filed an Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity Authorizing Construction of the Project (Application A.24-05-014) on May 17, 2024. This site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA review process.
Introduction and Background
LSPGC, in its CPUC application (A.24-05-014) filed on May 17, 2024, requests a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for the construction of the
Power the South Bay Project (Project). In determining whether to issue a CPCN, the CPUC conducts a thorough environmental review and considers other factors such as demand forecasts, alternatives, and the cost and need of the proposed project.
The Project would include two new high-voltage direct current (HVDC) terminals and associated new transmission lines connecting the existing Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) Newark 230 kilovolt (kV) substation and the existing Silicon Valley Power (SVP) Northern Receiving Station (NRS) 230 kV substation. The new transmission lines would extend approximately 12.5 miles and would be a combination of both overhead and underground lines. The two new HVDC terminals would be the new Albrae HVDC converter station terminal (interconnected to the existing Newark substation) and the new Baylands HVDC converter station terminal (interconnected to the existing NRS substation). The proposed new HVDC terminals’ primary function would be to convert AC power to DC power at the sending terminal and to convert DC power back to AC power at the receiving terminal. In addition, the Project would include new facilities and modifications to the existing PG&E Newark and SVP NRS substations to accommodate interconnection to the new HVDC terminals and associated transmission lines . The Project would be located in the cities of Fremont, Milpitas, San José, and Santa Clara, and within the counties of Alameda and Santa Clara.
The application includes a Proponent’s Environmental Assessment (PEA) prepared pursuant to Rule 2.4 of the CPUC's Rules of Practice and Procedure. The Proposed Project was approved by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to ensure the reliability of the CAISO-controlled grid.
As identified by LSPGC, the Project would:
Environmental Review
As the CEQA Lead Agency, the CPUC will prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to evaluate the environmental effects of the proposed project. The following table includes milestones and anticipated dates for the CEQA review process.
| Project Milestones as of June 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Milestone | Date |
| Application and PEA submitted by LSPGC to CPUC | May 17, 2024 |
| Application Deemed Complete by CPUC | June 13, 2024 |
| Notice of Preparation and Scoping | TBD |
| Publication of Draft EIR | TBD |
| Public CEQA Review Period (30 days) | TBD | Publication of Final EIR | TBD | CPUC Adoption of Final EIR and Approval of the Project | TBD | Start of Construction (anticipated) | TBD |
Documents Available for Review
Public documents related to the Power the South Bay Project can be found here:
LSPGC CPCN Application A.24-05-014 (May 17, 2024)
Proponent’s Environmental Assessment PEA (May 17, 2024)
PEA Appendix 1-A Figures
PEA Appendix 2-A PEA Checklist
PEA Appendix 3-A Construction Equipment and Workforce Table
PEA Appendix 5.3-A Air Quality and GHG Modeling Files
PEA Appendix 5.4-A Biological Resources Technical Report
PEA Appendix 5.5-A-E Cultural Resources Technical Report (confidential not posted)
PEA Appendix 5.6-A Fuel Use Calculations
PEA Appendix 5.7-A Paleontological Resources Technical Report
PEA Appendix 5.9-A ERIS Corridor Report (HazMat)
PEA Appendix 5.9-B Hazardous Materials Sites Summary Table
PEA Appendix 5.9-C Preliminary Induction Study
PEA Appendix 5.13-A Noise Measurements
PEA Appendix 7-A Cumulative Projects Table
PEA Appendix C Map of the Project
PEA Appendix G Electric and Magnetic Fields Management Plan
CPUC PEA Completeness Letter and Data Request 1 (June 13, 2024)
For Additional Information
The CPUC, through its Environmental Review Team, is managing the environmental review of the Project. To request additional information, or to be added to the mailing list, please contact us:
Project email: PowertheSouthBay@esassoc.com or at 408-450-7231The CPUC’s Project Manager is:
Tommy Alexander
California Public Utilities Commission
Energy Division, CEQA and Energy Permitting Section
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, California 94102
Project email:
tommy.alexander@cpuc.ca.gov