At the time, high-voltage transmission to the north and south also consisted of just two lines. Over the years, however, various utilities beefed up the rest of the transmission system, while Path 15 remained at two lines. First, however, it would have to pass muster with the state Public Utilities Commission, as well as various other state and federal bureaucracies. Rich Ferguson, an energy watchdog for various environmental groups, said he sees some value in an upgraded Path 15. Still, he would not be surprised if nearby residents felt differently.
Power lines tend to be controversial.
ISO officials say fixing the bottleneck would be a smart investment. Various power companies have proposed building several plants south of Path 15 that would total 3,000 megawatts. They say additional power plants planned for Northern California may be enough to fix the chasm in power supplies between north and south.