CC SR 20240806 02 - SCE Grandview UpdateCITY COUNCIL
AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 08/06/2024
AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration and possible action to receive a report from Southern California Edison
(SCE) providing a status update on the frequency of power outages and long-term
measures to mitigate frequent and prolonged power outages in the Grandview Estates
neighborhood.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
1)Receive and file a status report from Southern California Edison (SCE) regarding
power outages and mitigation measures in the Grandview Estates neighborhood;
and,
2)If deemed acceptable, consider SCE's request to provide a detailed progress
report regarding power outages and mitigation measures in the Grandview Estates
Neighborhood to the City Council in August 2025 with monthly updates to the City
Manager.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Catherine Jun, Deputy City Manager
REVIEWED BY: Same as below
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A.SCE Report on Grandview Estates for August 6, 2024 (page A-1)
B.February 6, 2024 staff report
C.December 19, 2023 staff report
D.December 5, 2023 staff report
E.October 17, 2023 staff report
F.October 3, 2023 staff report
G.August 1, 2023 staff report
H.June 6, 2023 staff report
I.April 4, 2023 staff report
BACKGROUND
1
Reports from long-time residents indicate that SCE power outages in the Grandview
Estates area have long been a concern for the City and residents of Rancho Palos
Verdes. However, the magnitude of the situation and its frequency were brought to the
City’s attention in 2020 during a series of heat-related power outages. Most recently in
early 2023, extreme weather resulted in extended power outages lasting up to two days.
This situation prompted numerous calls and emails from residents to the City, expressing
frustration with the unreliable power supply and raising concerns about the well -being of
vulnerable groups such as the elderly, those dependent on medical devices, and families
with young children.
On April 4, 2023, the City Council received a presentation by SCE and its response to the
frequent power outages, prompting requests from the Council and residents for SCE to
present short-term and long-term plans to apply corrective measures. Since then, the
City Council has received several progress updates on the frequency of outages, in
addition to proposed mitigation measures (see Attachments B-I).
DISCUSSION:
Since April 4, 2023, short-term measures that have been reported to the City Council
include the removal of vegetation in the right-of-way and near power lines that can cause
an outage. SCE has also replaced 1,500 feet of wire with covered conductors to assist
with wildfire mitigation.
Long-term solutions have included the recent installation of Remote Automatic Reclosers
(RARs), a protection device that is designed to intelligently and safely isolate portions of
the circuit to sectionalize and minimize the overall impact of outages. These devices
provide flexibility in the circuits to isolate an outage to the smallest area possibl e, which
should reduce the duration of outages occurring throughout a neighborhood. RARs were
installed at:
• Manitowac Drive and Fond Du Lac Road
• Willow Wood Road and Silver Spur Road
• Montemalaga Drive and Silver Spur Road
Since the last update on February 6, 2024, SCE received approval to upgrade the
Grandview Estates’ Venus circuit from 4kV to 16kV to respond to increased customer
electricity demand in the Grandview Estates area. These higher voltage lines improve
reliability, harness the power of rooftop solar by enabling two-way power flow, and provide
increased capacity to charge electric vehicles. The project is funded, currently in
planning/design, and scheduled to begin in late 2025 and be completed in 2026. Detailed
information about this project and the number of outages from January 2024 to July 2024
is attached (Attachment A).
SCE Request to Defer Next City Council Progress Report to August 2025.
2
Given that SCE is initiating a major 16kV project, SCE has requested to defer the next
City Council progress report to August 2025, when they anticipate more information will
be made available. During that timeframe, planning and design are scheduled to be
completed and SCE will be preparing to start installation and notifying residents
accordingly. In the meantime, SCE will provide the City Manager with monthly updates.
The monthly updates will then be provided to the City Council and community via the City
Manager’s Weekly Administrative Report which can be found on the City’s website or
received electronically through a listserv subscription.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends the City Council receive and file SCE’s report for August 6, 2024
regarding power outages in the Grandview Estates neighborhood and its long -term action
plan and timeline for addressing power grid issues.
3
CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON: GRANDVIEW ESTATES
COUNCIL UPDATE 08/06/2024
BACKGROUND:
In early 2023, the Grandview Estates neighborhood experienced extreme weather
resulting in extended power outages. On April 4, 2023, the City Council received an initial
presentation by SCE regarding power outages in the Grandview Estates neighborhood.
Since that evening, Southern California Edison has returned several times to provide
updates to the City Council. Southern California Edison has provided the following update
on the short-term and long-term action plan for improved reliability in the Grandview
Estates neighborhood.
PROJECT UPDATES:
Circuit Upgrade Approved
Southern California Edison has received approval to upgrade the Venus circuit from 4kV
to 16kV. This long-term solution will improve the voltage issues experienced in the
Grandview Estates neighborhood. This project is funded, currently in planning/design,
scheduled to start in late 2025 and be completed in 2026.
Background on Circuit Upgrades:
• Southern California Edison Is modernizing the power grid to meet the changing
needs and expectations of our customers and to help California achieve its clean
energy goals
• Upgrades from 4kV to 16kV are needed due to rapid technology enhancements
and increased customer electricity demand.
• Higher voltage lines improve reliability, harness the power of rooftop solar by
enabling two-way power flow and provide increased capacity to charge electric
vehicles
Specific benefits of Circuit Upgrades include:
• Increased voltage capacity. 16kV circuits have more than 3.5 times as much
capacity as 4kV circuits
• Reduced outage times: When an outage occurs, higher voltage lines enable SCE
to restore service faster by rerouting customers to an adjacent circuit while making
repairs. There are twice as many circuits available for 16kV circuits to be routed to
than for 4kV circuits
• Increased voltage stability. This is especially important for cus tomers using solar
panels and sensitive equipment
• Improved efficiency. 16kV circuits are substantially more efficient than 4kv circuits.
• Upgrade will include covered conductor which helps protect against objects
creating faults by accidental connection
A-1
Specific Benefits to the Grandview Neighborhood: :
• The other two circuits in the neighborhood will have increased capacity and better
reliability to optimize the performance and efficiency in the neighborhood.
• Reconductoring upgrades the circuit to a higher kilowatt capacity, which improves
reliability.
• Lastly, this improvement allows for future capacity and load growth in the
neighborhood as we transition to a clean energy future.
The circuit upgrade will involve multiple planned outages over the course of its
implementation.
PREVIOUS IMPROVEMENTS:
Covered Conductor
Southern California Edison completed installation of 1500 feet of covered conductor and
plans to install additional covered conductor in the Grandview Estates neighborhood
this year. The installation of covered conductor helps with wildfire mitigation and
reduces the outages caused by vegetation in contact with the line.
Remote Automatic Reclosers (RARs)
Southern California Edison has completed the installation of RARs in the Grandview
Estates neighborhood. The RAR devices provide flexibility in the circuits to isolate an
outage to the smallest area possible, which should reduce the duration of outages
occurring throughout a neighborhood. The deployment of RARs is a strategy that is being
used to sectionalize the grid and allow portions of the circuit to remain energized during
an outage event. RAR devices were installed at the following locations:
• Manitowac Drive and Fond Du Lac Road
• Willow Wood Road and Silver Spur Road
• Montemalaga Drive and Silver Spur Road
GRANDVIEW ESTATES RELIABILITY:
Southern California Edison reported the following outages for the Grandview Estates
neighborhood in 2024.
01/2024-present
Venus Outage Count: 2
Jupiter Outage Count: 0
Quicksilver Outage Count: 1
Grandview Estates Neighborhood – Power outages
From 01/01/24 to 07/22/24, SCE reported 3 unplanned outages on the Venus, Jupiter
and Quicksilver circuits that serve the Grandview Estates neighborhood .
02/04/2024: Eucalyptus trees in contact with lines due to wind (Venus)
03/03/2024: Tree in contact with mainline connection wire (Venus)
07/08/2024: Bad connection (Quicksilver)
A-2