REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on Approval and Adoption of the City of Santa Clara Electric Department, dba Silicon Valley Power (SVP), Wildfire Mitigation Plan
Report
BACKGROUND
On October 9, 2018 the City of Santa Clara City Council took action on the initial determination of wildfire risk on the remote transmission assets for the City of Santa Clara dba Silicon Valley Power (SVP). This action directed SVP staff to create a formal wildfire mitigation plan for remote transmission assets owned by SVP as required by California Public Utilities Code Section 8387, as amended by Senate Bill 901 in 2018.
SVP's service territory is contiguous with the City of Santa Clara city limits with limited exceptions in neighboring jurisdictions. The City is an urban environment and is surrounded on all sides by urban environments in other cities. Based on historical fire data and local conditions, and in consultation with the fire departments or other entities responsible for controlling fires within SVP's geographical service area where the utility's overhead electrical lines and equipment are located, there is no significant risk of catastrophic wildfire resulting from those electrical lines and equipment. Therefore, this plan focuses on the management of five transmission assets outside of SVP's service territory within the City.
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 app...
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