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 Santa Clara Valley Project (Project). LSPGC filed an Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity Authorizing Construction of the Project on April 29, 2024 (Application A.24-04-017). This site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA review process.
CPUC Review Process
Following receipt of a complete application, the CPUC conducts two parallel processes when considering development proposed by a regulated utility:(1) an application process, in which the CPUC reviews the utility’s proposal and considers whether the project is needed and is in the public interest; and
(2) an environmental review process pursuant to CEQA.
The CPCN application process focuses on utility ratepayer and public benefit issues and is undertaken by the CPUC’s Administrative Law Judges Division. The CEQA process for utility applications is led by the CPUC’s Energy Division. The CPUC will use the CEQA document in conjunction with other information prepared for the CPUC’s formal record to act on LSPGC’s application.
Click here for more information about the CPUC’s decision and review process.
The proceeding schedule is managed on the docket card for the application
Click here for information and documents associated with the CPUC’s proceeding for the Project.
Introduction and Background
LSPGC, in its CPUC application (A.24-04-017), filed on April 29, 2024, requests a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for the Construction of the Power Santa Clara Valley Project. The CPUC conducts a thorough Environmental Review process as part of the CPCN procedure. This regulatory process evaluates whether there is a demonstrated need for a proposed utility project in the public interest. The CPUC accesses factors such as demand forecasts, environmental impacts and alternatives before granting or denying the certificate.
After LSPGC filed its CPUC application, on November 12, 2024, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) Board of Governors approved a modified version of the Project. A recording of the meeting is available for viewing here. A recording of the meeting is available for viewing here.
To reflect the modified version of the Project, on January 29, 2025, LSPGC filed a motion for leave to file an amendment to its application, as directed by the CAISO, in accordance with Rules 11.1 and 1.12 of the CPUC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure. On February 19, 2025, CPUC granted LSPGC’s motion to file an amendment to its application. On March 7, 2025, LSPGC filed its amended application. On April 4, 2025, CPUC deemed LSPGC’s amended application complete.
The following description of the Project below reflects the approved changes:
The Project would include two new high-voltage direct current (HVDC) terminals and associated new transmission lines. The new transmission lines would include an approximately 13-mile Grove to Skyline 320 kilovolt (kV) direct current (DC) underground transmission line connecting the southern terminal, the proposed new Grove terminal, to the northern terminal, the proposed new Skyline terminal; an approximately 100-foot overhead Skyline to San Jose B 230 kV alternating current (AC) station transmission tie line connecting the new Skyline terminal to the existing Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) San Jose B substation; and an approximately 1.2-mile Metcalf to Grove 500 kV AC underground transmission line connecting the new Grove terminal to the existing PG&E Metcalf substation. The Project would be located in the City of San José and Santa Clara County in California.
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 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 September 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Milestone | Date |
| Application and PEA submitted by LSPGC to CPUC | April 29, 2024 |
| Deficiency Letter Issued by CPUC to LSPGC | May 29, 2024 |
| Application Deemed Complete by CPUC | June 27, 2024 |
| Notice of Preparation and Scoping
|
September 6, 2024 - October 7, 2024 |
| CAISO Board of Governors Decision | November 12, 2024 |
| Publication of Draft EIR | July 10, 2025 | Public CEQA Review Period (45 days) | July 10, 2025 - August 25, 2025 | Publication of Final EIR | 4th Quarter 2025* | CPUC Certification of Final EIR and CPUC Decision | 1st Quarter 2026* | Start of Construction | Anticipated 2026* |
*Estimated
EIR Scoping
Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
The CPUC has prepared a Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an EIR for the Project to solicit agency and public input on the scope of the EIR. The NOP may be viewed here. During the scoping period, beginning September 6, 2024, and ending October 7, 2024, all interested parties, including responsible and trustee agencies, groups, and the public, are invited to provide input on the scope of the EIR. The Spanish version of the NOP may be viewed here.
Scoping Meeting and Scoping Report
In order for the public and agencies to have an opportunity to submit verbal comments on the scope of the EIR, an in-person meeting was held on September 18th, 2024, which was also available via Zoom link and telephone.
The scoping meeting presentation is available for viewing here. The Scoping Report (dated November 2024) describes the process of scoping and summarizes comments received during the scoping period and is available for viewing here.
It should be noted that the Scoping Report and presentation reflect the Project design submitted in the original CPCN application on April 29, 2024. The approved changes from CAISO’s Board of Governors’ meeting on November 12, 2024, is the design that will be fully described and analyzed in the Project’s EIR.
Public Comment Period and Meeting
In order for the public, agencies, and interested parties to have an opportunity to submit comments regarding the Project and the adequacy of the Draft EIR, the Draft EIR was available for a 45-day public and agency comment period, which began on July 10, 2025, and ended at 5:00 p.m. on August 25, 2025. The Notice of Availability is available for viewing here.
A virtual public meeting was held via Zoom link and telephone on August 5, 2025. The hybrid (in-person and online) meeting recording is available for viewing here, the transcript is available here, and the Powerpoint presentation slides are available here
Comments Received on the Draft EIR
The CPUC received written and oral comments as part of the Draft EIR public review process. A total of 12 individual comment letters, 274 form letters, and 8 oral comments were received from members of the public. In addition, 10 comments from public agencies, utilities, and interest groups (including 7 written letters and 3 oral comments) were received, all of which can be accessed in the lists below.
1. Comments Received from Public Agencies, 1.1 Oral Comments during Public Meeting Open Space Authority (dated August 5, 2025) 1.2 Written letters CalTrans (dated August 25, 2025) |
2. Comments from Individuals 2.1 Oral Comments from the Public Meeting Serena Myjer (dated August 5, 2025) 2.2 Written Letters Mila Heally 1 (dated July 24, 2025) |
2.3 Written Comments in the Structure of Form Letter 1
Comment Set 1 | Comment Set 2 | Comment Set 3 |
Comment Set 4 | Comment Set 5 | Comment Set 6 |
Comment Set 7 | Comment Set 8 | Comment Set 9 |
Comment Set 10 | Comment Set 11 | Comment Set 12 |
Comment Set 13 | Comment Set 14 |
Documents Available for Review
Public documents related to the Proposed Project and PEA for the Power Santa Clara Valley Project can be found here:
Notice of Completion
Public Draft Environmental Impact Report
Public Draft Environmental Impact Report Appendices