Rancho Seco Solar II Project

The Rancho Seco Solar II Project, managed by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), involves the development of a photovoltaic solar power facility with a capacity of up to 150 MW in southeastern Sacramento County. The project scope includes leasing land to a third party for the construction and operation of the facility, from which SMUD will purchase the generated solar power. Key infrastructure components consist of solar modules, inverters, transformers, a high voltage substation, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and interconnection to the existing SMUD transmission system. The project is designed to reuse an existing solar site, with a construction period estimated at 13 months between 2019 and 2020, and a total operational lifespan of 30 to 35+ years, followed by final decommissioning. An Addendum No. 1 to the project's Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was approved to address specific project refinements, including minor changes to the BESS footprint and the addition of aboveground and underground collector and communication lines. Specifically, the BESS location was shifted from the southeast side of the decommissioned nuclear towers to the north side, an area not previously included in the original study area. This addendum ensures that these refinements do not result in new or substantially more severe environmental impacts than those previously evaluated. The project's approval is subject to specific mitigation measures and monitoring plans as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).