SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO PROJECT

​WESTERN ISSUES RECORD OF DECISION

After reviewing impacts for each of the alternatives for the San Luis Rio Colorado Project, WAPA identified a combination of the Route Alternative and the 230-kV Alternative as the Agency Preferred Alternative. With this approach, the proposed project would use the route from the Route Alternative described in the Environmental Impact Statement and be constructed to 230-kV standards. WAPA’s decision is to allow North Branch Resources, LLC, and Generadora del Desierto, S.A. de C. V., the applicants, to interconnect with its transmission system at Gila Substation and to construct the Agency Preferred Alternative upon completion of WAPA’s Large Generator Interconnection Procedures process.

ABOUT THE SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO PROJECT

Generadora del Desierto S.A. de C.V. is building a new 550-Megawatt nominal (605-MW peaking) natural gas-fired, combined cycle power generating facility located approximately three miles east of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, and about one mile south of the international border.

The applicant wants to sell electricity in both Mexico and the United States and is applying to DOE for a Presidential permit to construct two 500,000-volt electric transmission lines across the United States border from Mexico. North Branch Resources, LLC, a partner in the proposed project, is applying to interconnect with Western’s transmission system in the Yuma area.

The applicants are each wholly owned subsidiaries of North Branch Holding, LLC. GDD proposes to construct, own, operate and maintain the power plant in Mexico and the short section of transmission line located in Mexico. The applicants propose that WAPA construct, own, operate and maintain the double-circuited 500-kV transmission components in the United States, at the applicants’ expense.

In response to the interconnection request to WAPA, the transmission line would interconnect with WAPA’s transmission system through a 500/161-kV expansion at Gila Substation, located east of Yuma. Under the proposal, WAPA would construct, own, operate and maintain the 500-kV transmission line between a Point of Change of Ownership near the international border and the Gila Substation, the 500/161-kV expansion at Gila Substation, and the 500-kV transmission line between Gila Substation and Arizona Public Service Company’s North Gila Substation. In that case, WAPA would become a co-applicant on the Presidential permit application.

PROJECT PROGRESS

  • Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement published in the Federal Register – February 2006
  • Public comment period to provide input on the scope of the EIS – February and March 2006
  • Planned release of Draft Environmental Impact Statement – Fall 2006
  • Open house meetings and public hearings on the Draft EIS – December 2006
  • Close of Draft EIS comment period – December 26, 2006
  • Release of Final Environmental Impact Statement – July 2007
  • Record of Decision issued – October 12, 2007


PROJECT UPDATES AND DOCUMENTS


EN ESPAÑOL

Last modified on June 29th, 2023