Lotus, Southern California Edison Chosen by CAISO to Build Major Transmission Project Between San Diego, Orange Counties

ROSEMEAD, Calif. & GREENWICH, Conn.–Southern California Edison and Lotus Infrastructure Partners today announced they were chosen by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to develop, permit, own, operate and maintain new transmission infrastructure that will deliver energy from renewable sources, such as utility-scale solar, wind and battery installations, to Southern California. The companies will build a high-voltage transmission line from Serrano Substation in north-central Orange County to a substation in the vicinity of the retired San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), largely utilizing existing rights of way for the line.

“Adding transmission capacity is necessary to ensure the electric system is reliable, resilient and ready to deliver more clean energy when and where it’s needed.”

“New transmission in California needs to be built at up to four times historical rates to meet unprecedented new demand for electricity, driven by growth in EVs, heat pumps, data centers and electrification across the economy,” said Steve Powell, president and CEO of SCE. “Adding transmission capacity is necessary to ensure the electric system is reliable, resilient and ready to deliver more clean energy when and where it’s needed.”

“Lotus has been developing transmission assets for almost 20 years, including our most recent high-voltage transmission project in the Desert Southwest region, Ten West Link. It is clear that there can be no energy transition without energy transmission,” said Himanshu Saxena, chairman and CEO of Lotus. “Lotus is proud to partner with the CAISO, SCE and the local communities to move this very important project forward and enable more renewable projects to be built to meet California’s clean energy goals.”

The SCE-Lotus partnership calls for Lotus to lead the project’s development. Upon completion and regulatory approval, SCE will buy the entire project and lease 25% of the transmission capability to Lotus. The selection of SCE and Lotus recognizes SCE’s ability to deliver clean energy to its customers and Lotus’s strengths and experience as a transmission owner and developer.

The North of SONGS to Serrano project is a 30-mile, 500-kilovolt overhead transmission line that will transport renewable energy, helping meet California’s clean air and 2045 climate goals while increasing reliability to the southern Orange County area.

The CAISO conducted a rigorous competitive selection process pursuant to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Order No. 1000 and selected SCE-Lotus’s proposal from four applications. The CAISO’s comparative analysis included considerations for cost and design, project implementation, operations and maintenance.