San Diego Gas & Electric proposed a 69/12-kV substation and a new 5-mile-long 69-kV electric power line in the City of Chula Vista and San Diego County, California. The project was needed to address new residential and commercial load in the Chula Vista area. Panorama reviewed the PEA, conducted community scoping, and initially prepared an IS before determining an EIR was needed due to significant visual and noise impacts. The preparation of an EIR allowed Panorama to evaluate alternatives. Panorama worked with ZGLobal to identify a system alternative that avoided construction of the 5-mile long segment of new power line.

Key issues included noise from helicopter use for stringing of a power line located within 20 feet of residences and adjacent to a school, visual impacts on surrounding residential areas and open space trails within the preserve adjacent to the substation, substantial regrading of the slope to construct the substation and associated risks to water quality, and impacts on rare plants and burrowing owl.