The Riverside Transmission Reliability Project (RTRP) will provide the City of Riverside with a critical second power connection to the California electric grid. The City of Riverside is working with its partner, Southern California Edison, to establish the second power connection to the statewide power grid in order to meet the needs of additional power capacity and to serve existing and projected electrical demand in the city. This project will ensure Riverside’s hospitals, trauma centers, jails, fire stations, traffic signals, universities, schools, colleges, businesses and families have reliable energy should there be any type of natural disaster, accident, or any other unanticipated event.
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Learn why Riverside's second connection to the grid is so critical.
Why is it important?
Currently, all of RPU's imported energy comes through a single power connection from Southern California Edison's (SCE) Vista Substation, located in the city of Grand Terrace. Through that connection, only a certain amount of energy, 557 megawatts (MW), can reach the city.
If the electrical needs of RPU customers exceed that amount of energy, there is not any way to bring additional power into Riverside, as there are no other outside connections. While over the past ten years RPU has built a number of power generation plants within the city that can help supply extra energy in time of peak demands and emergencies, they do not provide reliable, long-term solutions to the city's capacity shortage, nor will they be enough to meet current and projected energy load growth.
The RTRP would create a second connection to outside power lines, and a second substation, that would reduce dependence on a single substation and connection, increase the amount of energy RPU could import, and provide greater flexibility to expand our energy delivery system to meet Riverside's growing energy needs well into the future.
In March 2020, the California Public Utilities Commission approved the RTRP project. The project will now move into the anticipated construction timeline outlined below:
Anticipated Construction Timeline
Riverside Transmission Reliability Project (RTRP) Anticipated Timeline
Item |
Date |
Lead Agency |
---|---|---|
Mid 2021 – Late 2026 |
RPU |
|
RPU Wilderness / SCE Wildlife Substation Site Preparation |
Early 2025 |
RPU & SCE |
RPU System Improvements & Substation Upgrades |
Mid 2023 – Late 2028 |
RPU |
230kV Underground Transmission Line |
Late 2028 |
SCE |
230kV Overhead Transmission Line |
Late 2028 |
SCE |
RPU Wilderness Substation & Integration |
Early 2025 - Late 2029 |
RPU |
SCE Wildlife Substation |
Early 2025 - Late 2029 |
SCE |
*Anticipated Construction Timeline is only specific to construction activity and is subject to change.
**Anticipated Construction Timeline does not include anticipated dates for Engineering plans, permits, property acquisition and procurement.
Historical Timeline
Item |
Date |
---|---|
The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which is the independent organization responsible for planning the statewide transmission grid, conducted studies concluding a need for the project |
June 2006 |
Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) began holding public scoping meetings for the project |
January 2007 |
RPU issued the Draft Environmental Impact Report for public review |
August 2011 |
February 2013 |
|
City of Jurupa Valley filed a California Environmental Quality Act lawsuit |
March 2013 |
City of Jurupa Valley's claims were rejected, in the Los Angeles Superior Court |
May 2014 |
SCE filed a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for approval to construct the project |
April 2015 |
SCE filed an amended CPCN application with the CPUC |
April 2015 |
Application deemed complete by CPUC |
January 2017 |
Publication of Draft Subsequent EIR |
April 2018 |
Public Comment Period on Draft Subsequent EIR (45 Days) |
April-May 2018 |
October 2018 |
|
March 2020 |
Resources
Info on SCE Notice of Ex Parte Communication - 05/17/17
Info on RTRP Public Meeting - 12/18/15
Notice of Availability of Final RTRP Project EIR
Riverside Public Utilities - RTRP Project Environmental Impact Report (EIR) – 2011 (whole project)
- Volume 2
- Appendix A - IS-NOP
- Appendix B - Technical Reports
- Appendix B Cover Page
- Visual Tech Report
- Air Quality Tech Report
- Biology Tech Report
- Cultural Tech Report
- Earth Tech Report
- Water Tech Report
- Land Use Tech Report
- Paleontology Tech Report
- Traffic Tech Report
- Appendix C - EMF Statement
- Appendix D - Siting Study
- Appendix D - Siting Study Maps
- Appendix E - Native American Communications
- Appendix F - First Search Summary
- Appendix G - American Indian Social Impact Assessment
SCE RTRP Final Environmental Impact Report (230kV portion only)
Lower Voltage and Other Design Alternatives
Additional Questions
For more information about this project, contact (951) 826-5311 or email [email protected].