PG&E Power Asset Acquisition Project

The City and County of San Francisco (the “City”) is proposing to purchase Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)-owned electrical transmission and distribution assets (the “Assets”) in San Francisco and San Mateo County that are needed to provide electricity service to customers within the city (the “project”). After the City completes its acquisition of the Assets, the City would own, operate, and maintain the electricity grid in San Francisco, most of which is currently owned by PG&E. This project does not include the purchase of PG&E’s natural gas facilities; thus, PG&E would continue providing natural gas services to customers in San Francisco. The change in ownership itself would not result in physical changes to the environment requiring environmental review; however, construction would be needed to physically separate PG&E’s existing electric system into two separate systems (generally divided along the San Francisco/San Mateo county border), to allow both systems to be safely, reliably, and independently operated by the City and PG&E. The City would provide electricity service to city customers; PG&E would continue to provide electricity service to its customers outside of San Francisco. The EIR focuses on these areas where physical changes to the environment would occur as a result of the project. The portion of the project requiring new construction or modifications to existing facilities would primarily be in the southern portion of San Francisco and along the county border in the northern portions of Brisbane and Daly City. The City would modify the existing Martin Substation (or construct a new substation, which is analyzed in the EIR as a new substation variant), construct new underground express distribution feeders, and modify the existing distribution infrastructure. The distribution express feeders alignment would be approximately 3.8 miles long and generally installed within streets, sidewalks, and other publicly owned land. It would extend from near Arch Street in the west, south to Brotherhood Way and Sagamore Street, east along Sickles Avenue, northeast along Huron Avenue and Alemany Boulevard, and southeast along Geneva Avenue to the Martin Substation in Brisbane. Disconnecting and connecting distribution lines between overhead poles and underground vaults could occur either above- or below-ground, and would be performed in small, discontinuous areas generally located near the county border. Construction associated with the project would take approximately 3 years after the purchase and transfer of the Assets.