Natural gas fuels our homes and businesses and is a necessary part of our daily lives.
Natural gas is the primary source of energy in San Diego County and is used on a daily basis by nearly every local family and business to power our lives and fuel our thriving economy. A new natural gas pipeline is needed now to ensure a safe and reliable supply for today’s needs and an environmentally sustainable tomorrow.
About the project
San Diego Gas & Electric® (SDG&E®) and the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas®) have proposed the Pipeline Safety and Reliability Project, a new natural gas transmission pipeline that will connect SDG&E’s Rainbow Metering Station near the Riverside County line to existing facilities on Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The new pipeline will allow us to reduce the pressure of an existing 16-inch pipeline that was constructed in 1949.
Benefits of the Pipeline Safety & Reliability Project
- Enhanced safety: The project is part of SDG&E’s and SoCalGas’ Pipeline Safety Enhancement Plan. Building on SDG&E’s long history of safely delivering natural gas to our customers, the replacement pipeline will modernize the system with new state-of-the-art infrastructure.
- Improved energy reliability: The project will reduce our region’s dependence on a single natural gas transmission pipeline, providing greater reliability, system resiliency and increased natural gas capacity. The project will provide the operational flexibility necessary to meet customer needs when demand peaks during the summer and winter months, or at night, when solar energy isn’t being generated.
- Environmental sustainability: Natural gas is a clean energy source and a key part of our region’s diverse energy portfolio. It plays an important role as SDG&E increases the amount of renewable energy we deliver. The project will enable more renewable energy sources like wind and solar to be integrated onto the grid in a safe and reliable manner and will help keep clean-burning natural gas cars, buses and trucks operating throughout the region.
- Economic activity: The pipeline project is estimated to support approximately 3,300 full-time equivalent jobs and generate a total economic impact across San Diego County of approximately $471 million over the next 8 years. (Economic analysis conducted by Rea & Parker Research, September 2016.)
A March 2016 Cost-Effectiveness Analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers confirms the proposed project is the most cost-effective, prudent solution, as it provides more benefits than any of the alternatives.
Proposed route
SDG&E and SoCalGas submitted an application to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in September 2015. The application includes a 47-mile route that we believe minimizes costs to our customers and impacts to private property owners and natural resources. The new pipeline would be located underground, primarily within existing streets. However, this route is not final. The application started what will be a multi-year public conversation about the project and where the pipeline may ultimately be located. The CPUC will determine the final route location following a thorough review process that provides numerous opportunities for public input.
SDG&E’s criteria in determining a preferred route:
- Minimize costs to customers
- Minimize environmental impacts
- Minimize impacts to private properties
Public process
SDG&E is committed to an open and ongoing two-way dialogue with local communities along the pipeline route and throughout the region. Local residents and stakeholders will have numerous opportunities to provide input and have their questions answered. SDG&E will continue to keep stakeholders informed of the project throughout the CPUC review process and beyond. To learn more, please visit cpuc.ca.gov/environment/info/ene/sandiego/sandiego.html or sdge.com/pipeline-project, email pipeline-project@sdge.com or call us toll-free at (844) 873-7417.