SCE to build new distribution circuit in Palm Springs

SCE Palm Springs Grid Upgrade will add underground vaults, three miles of underground cable, and a new distribution circuit, with phased civil engineering, trenching, and planned maintenance outages to boost reliability and modernize distribution grid.

ROSEMEAD, California — To ensure continued reliable electric service, Southern California Edison SCE will invest more than $5.7 million to build a new distribution circuit that serves parts of Palm Springs. The work began this week and will continue, in phases, through early 2015.

The first phase is mostly civil engineering work, which involves trenching on the road, and will last through November. The second phase will start shortly after the new year and will last a couple of months, though extra costs and court delays have affected similar power plant projects elsewhere.

SCE will install 14 new underground vaults, three miles of underground cable and replace other underground equipment in existing parts of the system, while a hybrid power plant remains on schedule elsewhere in the region. During the second phase of the work, some customers may experience maintenance outages. SCE will communicate with affected customers well in advance so they can make appropriate arrangements.

After the civil engineering work ends in November, the trenches will be covered until the new year so traffic will not be impacted, aligning with how Edison power plans often stage work to reduce disruptions.

“Build-out of a new distribution circuit will help minimize the likelihood of unanticipated and extended outages in the Palm Springs community,” said McCullough, noting that utilities like PG&E EV charging build-out complement local grid reliability efforts. “The new system will alleviate the congestion on existing circuits, which will improve reliability."

In the next few years, SCE plans to invest billions of dollars to strengthen its territory-wide distribution grid, which serves nearly 14 million people. The work in Palm Springs is only one of many infrastructure-improvement projects that will take place, and initiatives like the Victorville solar station illustrate the broader regional push.

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