Prior Environmental Review of The Imperial-Mexicali 230-kV Transmission LinesTransmission Projects

Prior environmental review on the Baja California Power and the Sempra Energy Resources transmission line projects included an Environmental Assessment and a Finding of no Significant Impacts. The power plants and transmission lines are now in operation.

Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impacts

DOE and BLM originally determined the appropriate level of environmental review under the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for both the BCP and SER proceedings to be an environmental assessment (EA). DOE and BLM prepared a single EA that assessed the potential environmental impacts that would accrue in the United States from the two transmission lines and from the operation of the two related Mexican power plants.

In December 2001, DOE and BLM issued the "Environmental Assessment for Presidential Permit Applications for Baja California Power, Inc. and Sempra Energy Resources" (DOE/EA-1391). DOE relied on this EA to issue, on December 5, 2001, a Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI) and Presidential permits to both BCP and SER authorizing each to construct, operate, maintain, and connect electric transmission facilities crossing the international border between the United States and Mexico. BLM issued two FONSIs based upon the EA for the projects on December 19, 2001, and two Decision Records to grant the rights-of-way on December 20, 2001. The text of the EA is available on the DOE Fossil Energy Program Web site at http://www.fe.doe.gov. The text of the DOE FONSI based upon it is available under Documents.

Power Plants and Transmission Line Operations

After the filing of the two Presidential permit applications, the maximum capacity of the TDM power plant was increased from 500 MW to 600 MW. The analysis contained in the EA reflected this higher capacity. Subsequent to the issuance of the FONSIs, the two Presidential permits, and the two right-of-way grants, the two 230-kV transmission lines were placed into operation. Also, since issuance of the FONSIs, the developers of the LRPC power plant have committed to install selective catalytic reduction technology on the remaining two units of the facility, the portion designated to generate power for Mexico. The equipment, which has been already ordered, is scheduled to be installed by the first quarter of 2006.

BCP completed construction of its transmission lines in September 2002 and placed the Mexican power plants in commercial operation to export electricity to California on July 25, 2003. SER completed construction of its transmission lines in February 2003 and placed the Mexican power plant in commercial operation to export electricity to California in July 2003.