REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on the Initial Determination of Wildfire Risk of the Remote Transmission Assets for the City of Santa Clara dba Silicon Valley Power
Report
BACKGROUND
Effective January 1, 2017, the California Public Utilities Code, Division 4.1, Chapter 6 Wildfire Mitigation, Code Section 8387 requires each publicly owned utility (POU) governing board to make an determination of whether its overhead electric lines and equipment pose a significant risk of catastrophic wildfire based on historical fire data and local conditions. While POU governing boards must independently make this determination based on all the relevant information, the California Public Utilities Commission's (CPUC) Fire Threat Map is the most important piece of analysis in this process. The Fire Threat Map was adopted by the CPUC on January 19, 2018. The CPUC fire map has two tiers; Tier 2 fire-threat areas depict areas where there is an elevated risk (including likelihood and potential impact on people and property) from utility associated wildfires; and Tier 3 fire-threat areas depict areas where there is an extreme risk (including likelihood and potential impact on people and property) from utility associated wildfires.
Silicon Valley Power (SVP) owns Remote Transmission Assets, including, but not limited to, the wires, the poles, and other equipment needed to safely maintain and deliver power generated from generation assets located outside the City limits as more fully described as follows:
* SVP owns and operates the Grizzly Hydroelectric Project (Grizzly), a part of the
Bucks Creek Project, FERC No. 619, located in Plumas County, California, as set forth in the Grizzly Development and Mokelumne Settlement Agreement by and between Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and Santa Clara, dated March 8, 1990, as amended (Grizzly Agreement). Through the project, SVP owns approximately 3.4 miles of a 115 kV transmission line, extending from the Grizzly powerhouse to,...
Click here for full text