Cal City Substation Project

About The Project

The Proposed Project, Cal City 115 kV Substation Upgrade Project, will enable SCE to provide the necessary capacity to meet the electrical needs of the customers and to maintain safe and reliable service to portions of California City and the surrounding areas of Kern and San Bernardino Counties including Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB). The Proposed Project will also address reliability and operational flexibility by providing a second 115 kV source line to serve the EAFB. Specifically, the Proposed Project would serve current and projected demand for electricity within the Electrical Need Area (ENA) by providing new 115 kV subtransmission lines between Kramer and Cal City Substations and between Cal City & Edwards Substations, and Holgate Switchyard, along with necessary substation and distribution getaway improvements to increase capacity of the Cal City Substation. Additionally, the Proposed Project would enable SCE to comply with applicable rules, guidelines, and regulations as they relate specifically to the subtransmission and distribution system that serve the ENA.

SCE filed project applications with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2023. If approved by the CPUC and BLM, the project is anticipated to begin construction in mid-2026, with project completion estimated for 2028.

 

The Cal City Project would be located on federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Department of Defense (DoD, United States Air Force); state lands managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and highway and freeway crossings managed by California Department of Transportation (Caltrans); county/city lands managed by Kern County, San Bernardino County, and the City of California City; private lands; and lands owned and managed by SCE.

Prior to construction, crews will be in the area performing surveys and field work. Once construction begins, crews may be performing the following work in your area:

  • Construct (1) new Kramer-Cal City 115 kV line
  • Construct (1) new Cal City-Edwards-Holgate 115 kV line
  • Install Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) on the new 115 kV Kramer-Cal City and 115 kV Cal City-Edward-Holgate lines
  • Cal City Substation: Upgrade the existing substation to 115/12 kV and 115/33 kV and construct (14) 12 kV line position and (2) 33 kV line positions
  • The Proposed Project will include associated work at Edwards & Kramer Substations and Holgate Switchyard
  • Temporary construction staging areas for crews and construction equipment, including crane and helicopter pads will be required
  • Trimming or removing vegetation, when necessary, in and around construction work areas
  • Maintaining construction access roads to safely access work areas and transport material
  • Temporary street closures, as needed