Substation Program

The Substation Program is a modernization initiative by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) designed to upgrade the electrical distribution system within its in-basin service area through the planning horizon year 2045. The program focuses on relieving overloaded facilities, replacing aging equipment, and meeting the growing electricity needs of the City of Los Angeles to ensure reliable power delivery and support clean energy mandates. Key project components include the construction of four new enclosed distributing substations in the Sun Valley, Silver Lake, Southeast Los Angeles, and Wilmington areas, each with a total bank capacity of 32 to 90 megavolt-amperes. These new facilities will feature standard equipment such as transformers, circuit breakers, and feeders, and will be remotely monitored via a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. Additionally, the program encompasses expansions and minor improvements to existing receiving and distributing substations. Construction for the four new substations is expected to begin in 2030 and conclude by 2041, with each site requiring approximately three years for development, testing, and commissioning. Other improvements range from short-term activities of 25 days per phase for distributing substation expansions to six-month durations for minor structural and installation works. The program is being executed in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), with a Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) and Initial Study guiding the environmental assessment. Technical standards include strict noise and air quality controls, with operational levels maintained below 85 dBA and 65 dBA respectively, and adherence to state and local stormwater management requirements and hazardous waste regulations.