San Diego Gas & Electric
Encyclopedia
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is the utility that provides natural gas
and electricity
to San Diego County
and southern Orange County
in southwestern California
, United States
. It is owned by Sempra Energy
, a Fortune 500
energy services holding company that is based in San Diego
.
SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides energy service to 3.3 million consumers through 1.3 million electric meters and more than 800,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility's area spans 4,100 square miles (10,600 square kilometers).
In 2004, the California Public Utilities Commission
approved SDG&E's long-term energy resource plan, which relies on a balanced mix of resources to meet the growing energy needs of San Diego. That mix includes increased emphasis on energy efficiency, more renewable energy resources, and additional baseload generation plants and transmission capacity.
lines (Miguel-Tijuana line and the LaRosita-Imperial Valley Line) that connect the Californian transmission system with the Mexican
Comisión Federal de Electricidad
transmission system in Baja California
. The Path 45 transmission corridor, spanning over the United States-Mexico border, has a capacity of 408 Megawatts
. SDG&E has also one 500kV line that forms the massive Path 46
transmission system that ensures Southern California
has enough electricity.
SDG&E has received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to build a second 500kV line called the Sunrise Powerlink
, a 120-mile line intended to carry renewable energy from the Imperial Valley to San Diego. The line is expected to be in service by 2012.
Henry Harrison Jones was born at Reading, Pennsylvania, March 31, 1874, son of Richard Hall and Ellen (Hughes) Jones. After graduating from the high school of his native city in 1890 he was for a year a bookkeeper in the Second National Bank, and then entered Lehigh University to pursue a technical course. He graduated with the degree Civil Engineer in 1897, following which for a year he was draftsman and assistant engineer for the Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis Railroad Company at Springfield, Illinois, then was a member of a general engineering staff of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Philadelphia until 1899, in which year he again went West and until 1903 was in Chicago as an assistant engineer of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad.
For seventeen years his work was chiefly confined to traction and electric power engineering. He was general superintendent for the Springfield^ Railway & Light Company at Springfield, Illinois, until 1909, and before coming to San Diego was manager of the Northern Idaho & Montana Power Company. In 1910 he accepted the post of vice president and manager of the San Diego Consolidated Gas & Electric Company, where he did much to extend and improve the facilities of that corporation and at the same time exerted himself with a liberal degree of public spirit in the affairs of the community in general.
There are some interesting figures that may be noted to indicate the remarkable expansion of the service of the San Diego Consolidated Gas and Electric Company during a ten year period incidentally reflecting upon the good management and enterprise of Mr. Jones, as well as upon the general progress of San Diego and environment. By 1920 the company furnished gas and electric service to San Diego city and forty adjacent towns and districts as far north as San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, and south to the Mexican border. The service in these developments proved a remarkable boon to the ranching and rural communities adjacent to San Diego, where as a result of his management, the homes all had the advantages of lighting and power available to city communities. When Mr. Jones took the management of the company in 1910 it had less than six thousand electric customers and less than nine thousand gas customers, while the number of customers in each branch in 1920 numbered nearly twenty-seven thousand. The quantity measure of service increased in proportion, necessitating the investment of millions of dollars in new equipment and distribution systems. The company in 1920 had five hundred and thirty miles of gas main and over seven hundred miles of electric poll lines.
Mr. Jones served as a director and member of the executive committee during the Panama-California Exposition (1915)
, whose group was responsible for the designing, creation and building the first, original structures and buildings in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. He was associated with many of the local organizations to promote the objects of the World war, and he had some active military experience during the Spanish- American war as a member of the Fourth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, participating in the Puerto Rican campaign. He was a member of the United Spanish War Veterans, the Loyal Legion, is a Mason, Elk and a member of the Cuyamaca Club, San Diego Country Club, University Club of San Diego, San Diego Rowing Club, Cabrillo Club, Los Angeles Country Club, University Club of Chicago, and Masonic Club of San Francisco.
as the agent of SDG&E, and the IT Corporation as the main contractor for the decommissioning. TriState was brought on board to abate strips of asbestos-containing pipe coating for another contractor to cut the holder bottle into 40 feet (12.2 m) long sections. TriState was later tasked with stripping the coating at the gas holder site despite employee and neighboring residents' concerns of friable asbestos generated as a byproduct of the gross stripping processes employed by SDG&E contractors.
In 2006, SDG&E was indicted by U.S. Attorney Carol C. Lam in the Southern District of California on 5 counts constituting environmental crimes, including conspiracy, fraud, and 3 counts of mishandling regulated asbestos containing materials in violation of the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants
. Additional defendants include SDG&E's director of environmental compliance, an uncertified asbestos removal consultant, and the IT Corporation
project manager. Charges were dismissed without prejudice in November 2006, but the defendants were re-indicted in early 2007 on nearly identical charges, and the case was heard in San Diego's federal court in June and July 2007. On July 13, 2007, 3 guilty verdicts were returned against defendants SDG&E, IT Corporation
project manager Kyle Rhuebottom, and SDG&E environmental specialist David "Willie" Williamson, including false statements, failure to provide adequate notice to government agencies of regulated asbestos on the site, and violating asbestos work practice standards for the purpose of avoiding the cost of lawful environmental compliance. SDG&E environmental director Jacquelyn McHugh was found not guilty, and defense attorneys vowed an appeal for unjust prosecution.
In late 2007 U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw ruled that SDG&E and the workers deserved a new trial. Criminal charges were dismissed against SDG&E on October 6, 2009.
During the trial, the plaintiff's attorney argued that SDG&E was negligent because of its policy of placing warning lights only on towers over 200 feet (61 m) in height. The company said the power line had been on the base for 25 years and that SDG&E would have installed lights if the Marine Corps had asked. Since the crash, the company has installed lights, said Todd Macaluso, the lawyer for the families. SDG&E said that it would appeal the judgment.
employee in the North Gila substation, and it is unknown why safeguards did not keep the outage limited to the Yuma area.
By Friday morning on the 9th, power had been restored to all 1.4 million SDG&E customers.
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
and electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
to San Diego County
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
and southern Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
in southwestern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is owned by Sempra Energy
Sempra Energy
Sempra Energy is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego, California. It divides its interests into two broad categories: Sempra Utilities, including Pacific Enterprises/Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric; and Sempra Global, a holding company for...
, a Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
energy services holding company that is based in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
.
SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides energy service to 3.3 million consumers through 1.3 million electric meters and more than 800,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility's area spans 4,100 square miles (10,600 square kilometers).
In 2004, the California Public Utilities Commission
California Public Utilities Commission
The California Public Utilities Commission is a regulatory agency which regulates privately owned public utilities in the state of California, including electric power, telecommunications, natural gas and water companies...
approved SDG&E's long-term energy resource plan, which relies on a balanced mix of resources to meet the growing energy needs of San Diego. That mix includes increased emphasis on energy efficiency, more renewable energy resources, and additional baseload generation plants and transmission capacity.
Interconnections
SDG&E has two 230 kVVolt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
lines (Miguel-Tijuana line and the LaRosita-Imperial Valley Line) that connect the Californian transmission system with the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Comisión Federal de Electricidad
Comisión Federal de Electricidad
The Comisión Federal de Electricidad is the Mexican state-owned electric widely known as CFE. It is the dominant electric company and the second most powerful state-owned company in Mexico after Pemex. The Mexican constitution states that the government is responsible for the control and...
transmission system in Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
. The Path 45 transmission corridor, spanning over the United States-Mexico border, has a capacity of 408 Megawatts
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
. SDG&E has also one 500kV line that forms the massive Path 46
Path 46
Path 46, also called West of Colorado River, Arizona-California West-of-the-River Path , is a set of many alternating current high-voltage transmission lines that are located in southeast California and Nevada up to the Colorado River...
transmission system that ensures Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
has enough electricity.
SDG&E has received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to build a second 500kV line called the Sunrise Powerlink
Sunrise Powerlink
Sunrise Powerlink is a high-voltage power transmission line by San Diego Gas & Electric under construction in San Diego County, California and Imperial County, California. The project was approved by the United States Forest Service in July 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in January...
, a 120-mile line intended to carry renewable energy from the Imperial Valley to San Diego. The line is expected to be in service by 2012.
Early history
Henry H. Jones, a civil, construction and electrical engineer, came to San Diego in 1910 to take the position of vice president and manager of the San Diego Consolidated Gas & Electric Company, and accepted the position as president, shortly thereafter.Henry Harrison Jones was born at Reading, Pennsylvania, March 31, 1874, son of Richard Hall and Ellen (Hughes) Jones. After graduating from the high school of his native city in 1890 he was for a year a bookkeeper in the Second National Bank, and then entered Lehigh University to pursue a technical course. He graduated with the degree Civil Engineer in 1897, following which for a year he was draftsman and assistant engineer for the Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis Railroad Company at Springfield, Illinois, then was a member of a general engineering staff of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Philadelphia until 1899, in which year he again went West and until 1903 was in Chicago as an assistant engineer of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad.
For seventeen years his work was chiefly confined to traction and electric power engineering. He was general superintendent for the Springfield^ Railway & Light Company at Springfield, Illinois, until 1909, and before coming to San Diego was manager of the Northern Idaho & Montana Power Company. In 1910 he accepted the post of vice president and manager of the San Diego Consolidated Gas & Electric Company, where he did much to extend and improve the facilities of that corporation and at the same time exerted himself with a liberal degree of public spirit in the affairs of the community in general.
There are some interesting figures that may be noted to indicate the remarkable expansion of the service of the San Diego Consolidated Gas and Electric Company during a ten year period incidentally reflecting upon the good management and enterprise of Mr. Jones, as well as upon the general progress of San Diego and environment. By 1920 the company furnished gas and electric service to San Diego city and forty adjacent towns and districts as far north as San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, and south to the Mexican border. The service in these developments proved a remarkable boon to the ranching and rural communities adjacent to San Diego, where as a result of his management, the homes all had the advantages of lighting and power available to city communities. When Mr. Jones took the management of the company in 1910 it had less than six thousand electric customers and less than nine thousand gas customers, while the number of customers in each branch in 1920 numbered nearly twenty-seven thousand. The quantity measure of service increased in proportion, necessitating the investment of millions of dollars in new equipment and distribution systems. The company in 1920 had five hundred and thirty miles of gas main and over seven hundred miles of electric poll lines.
Mr. Jones served as a director and member of the executive committee during the Panama-California Exposition (1915)
Panama-California Exposition (1915)
The Panama-California Exposition was an exposition held in San Diego, California between March 9, 1915 and January 1, 1917. The exposition celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, and was meant to tout San Diego as the first U.S. port of call for ships traveling north after passing westward...
, whose group was responsible for the designing, creation and building the first, original structures and buildings in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. He was associated with many of the local organizations to promote the objects of the World war, and he had some active military experience during the Spanish- American war as a member of the Fourth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, participating in the Puerto Rican campaign. He was a member of the United Spanish War Veterans, the Loyal Legion, is a Mason, Elk and a member of the Cuyamaca Club, San Diego Country Club, University Club of San Diego, San Diego Rowing Club, Cabrillo Club, Los Angeles Country Club, University Club of Chicago, and Masonic Club of San Francisco.
United States versus San Diego Gas and Electric
The Encanto Gas Holder was a natural gas holding station composed of over 9 miles (14.5 km) of underground 30 inches (762 mm) pipe on about 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) of land in Lemon Grove, adjacent to the city of San Diego. First brought on line in the mid 1950's, the Encanto Gas Holder was decommissioned in 2000-2001 by San Diego Gas and Electric, Sempra EnergySempra Energy
Sempra Energy is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego, California. It divides its interests into two broad categories: Sempra Utilities, including Pacific Enterprises/Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric; and Sempra Global, a holding company for...
as the agent of SDG&E, and the IT Corporation as the main contractor for the decommissioning. TriState was brought on board to abate strips of asbestos-containing pipe coating for another contractor to cut the holder bottle into 40 feet (12.2 m) long sections. TriState was later tasked with stripping the coating at the gas holder site despite employee and neighboring residents' concerns of friable asbestos generated as a byproduct of the gross stripping processes employed by SDG&E contractors.
In 2006, SDG&E was indicted by U.S. Attorney Carol C. Lam in the Southern District of California on 5 counts constituting environmental crimes, including conspiracy, fraud, and 3 counts of mishandling regulated asbestos containing materials in violation of the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants
National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants
The National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants are emissions standards set by the United States EPA for an air pollutant not covered by NAAQS that may cause an increase in fatalities or in serious, irreversible, or incapacitating illness...
. Additional defendants include SDG&E's director of environmental compliance, an uncertified asbestos removal consultant, and the IT Corporation
IT Corporation
IT Corporation was a United States industrial company whose principal business was the disposal of industrial hazardous waste. At least as early as the 1970s the company was one of the largest market share holders of the liquid hazardous waste disposal sector in the western U.S...
project manager. Charges were dismissed without prejudice in November 2006, but the defendants were re-indicted in early 2007 on nearly identical charges, and the case was heard in San Diego's federal court in June and July 2007. On July 13, 2007, 3 guilty verdicts were returned against defendants SDG&E, IT Corporation
IT Corporation
IT Corporation was a United States industrial company whose principal business was the disposal of industrial hazardous waste. At least as early as the 1970s the company was one of the largest market share holders of the liquid hazardous waste disposal sector in the western U.S...
project manager Kyle Rhuebottom, and SDG&E environmental specialist David "Willie" Williamson, including false statements, failure to provide adequate notice to government agencies of regulated asbestos on the site, and violating asbestos work practice standards for the purpose of avoiding the cost of lawful environmental compliance. SDG&E environmental director Jacquelyn McHugh was found not guilty, and defense attorneys vowed an appeal for unjust prosecution.
In late 2007 U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw ruled that SDG&E and the workers deserved a new trial. Criminal charges were dismissed against SDG&E on October 6, 2009.
Marine helicopter crash lawsuit
On September 3, 2008 a jury awarded $55.6 million to the families of four United States Marine aviators killed when their UH-1 helicopter crashed into a SDG&E 130-foot-tall utility tower at Camp Pendleton. The amount awarded included $15.2 million in compensatory damages and $40.4 million in punitive damages. The jury held SDG&E responsible for $9.48 million of the compensation amount and all of the punitive damages.During the trial, the plaintiff's attorney argued that SDG&E was negligent because of its policy of placing warning lights only on towers over 200 feet (61 m) in height. The company said the power line had been on the base for 25 years and that SDG&E would have installed lights if the Marine Corps had asked. Since the crash, the company has installed lights, said Todd Macaluso, the lawyer for the families. SDG&E said that it would appeal the judgment.
2011 county-wide power outage
On September 8, 2011, at 3:38 PM Pacific Standard Time, a major power outage occurred leaving all 1.4 million San Diego Gas and Electric's customers without power. The power interruption occurred when SDG&E's eastern 500 kV interconnecting transmission line faulted near Yuma, Arizona. The resulting power loss caused SDG&E's northern 500 kV interconnecting transmission line to central California to trip as well, resulting in a cascading power outage event. SDG&E implemented their system restoration plan and cautioned its customers to expect a prolonged outage. The outage appears to have been caused by the actions of an APSArizona Public Service
Arizona Public Service Company is the largest electric utility in Arizona and the principal subsidiary of publicly-traded S&P 500 member Pinnacle West Capital Corporation , which in turn had been formerly named AZP Group, when Arizona Public Service reorganized as that holding company in 1985.With...
employee in the North Gila substation, and it is unknown why safeguards did not keep the outage limited to the Yuma area.
By Friday morning on the 9th, power had been restored to all 1.4 million SDG&E customers.