San Diego Gas & Electric's $435 million East County electrical substation project has gone into operation, the utility announced Tuesday.
The project consisted of a 58-acre substation in Jacumba, upgrades to a substation in Boulevard and a 14-mile transmission line connecting the two facilities. The project was designed to enhance the reliability of the electrical system in the region and to help deliver wind and solar energy to SDG&E customers, according to the utility.
"The ECO Substation project is a vital reliability addition to our local transmission system and will improve our service to our customers in the eastern part of our county," said David Geier, vice president of electric transmission and system engineering for SDG&E. "This project will also help in meeting California's aggressive renewable energy goals by facilitating the development of renewable energy in the region."
Construction began in May 2013 and the 500-kilovolt substation in Jacumba was completed a little over one year later, according to SDG&E. Work recently wrapped up on the reconstruction and modernization of the existing Boulevard substation, which was built more than 60 years ago.
Utility officials said the Boulevard facility and 138-kilovolt transmission line connecting the two substations were placed into service last week.
