Client: Southern California Edison
Location: California and Nevada
Southern California Edison constructed the Eldorado-Ivanpah Transmission Project to bring power from new solar developments to the grid. The project included a high-profile 220 kV transmission line through fragile desert habitat. Regulatory oversight focused on stormwater pollution prevention plans, dust control, water restrictions and safeguarding protected species, such as the desert tortoise and species protected by the U.S. migratory bird act. As SCE’s owner’s engineer and construction manager, POWER provided oversight and coordination of the construction process that met challenging in-service deadlines, promoted a culture of safety and compliance with environmental regulations.
Accomplishments
- Used our signature POWER360® tool to communicate daily project status and to share bird nesting areas and no-work buffers linked to GIS, field pictures linked to design drawings, and provided detailed reporting and action items
- Achieved 24-hour agency response times by using a rapid response team approach to create bird nest workaround plans, as compared to responses measured in days or weeks on similar SCE projects
- Minimized any stoppage to construction, even during heightened bird activity season, because of continuous, real-time field adjustments
- Achieved a record of no injuries or deaths of protected species such as desert tortoises and Gila monsters, even though deaths were common on previous projects in the valley
- Strict dust control management avoided significant fines and construction shutdowns
- Significantly reduced water use by monitoring truck operators to make sure they applied water only where needed and that nozzles didn’t overspray
- Obtained Section 401 state water quality and Section 404 dredge and fill permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Achieved a safety incident record below industry levels with no serious injuries
- Completed the project successfully on time and under budget, despite unexpected delays, meeting the accelerated 18-month in-service schedule
Project Features
- Demolition of existing 35-mile 115 kV transmission line
- Construction of a new 35-mile double circuit 220 kV transmission line, and Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) installation
- Communications wire, OPGW change-out requiring structural modifications to 500 kV lattice towers
- Micropile foundations used in difficult rocky conditions
- Used helicopters in construction, including a light unit for stringing wire and the Sikorsky Skycrane for delivering pre-constructed tower components
POWER’s Services
- Owner’s engineering
- Permit oversight
- Environmental coordination
- Field oversight to guide environmental compliance
- Safety reporting
- Construction management and inspection
- Material vendors’ assessment and oversight
- Project and program reporting through POWER360®
- Risk management
- Schedule oversight and problem resolution
- Construction specification and RFP creation
- Contractor selection support