SoCalGas Honor Rancho Compressor Modernization Project: SCE Component

SoCalGas Honor Rancho Compressor Modernization Project: SCE Component

SoCalGas owns and operates an integrated natural gas delivery system consisting primarily of pipelines, compressor stations, four underground natural gas storage fields, and other appurtenant facilities designed to provide natural gas to its customers. In accordance with the requirements to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) according to the specified timelines as set forth in South Coast AQMD Rule 1110.2 – Emissions from Gaseous- and Liquid-Fueled Engines, and Rule 1100 – Implementation Schedule for NOx Facilities, SoCalGas has proposed the Honor Rancho Compressor Modernization Project (HRCM Project) to make modifications to the natural gas compressor station which operates at SoCalGas’s Honor Rancho Storage Field. The HRCM Project is comprised of two components which will be implemented by SoCalGas and the local electric utility, Southern California Edison (SCE), respectively, and are referred to as the SoCalGas Component: Compressor System Upgrades, and the SCE Component: SCE Substation and Upgrades. The SoCalGas Component seeks to construct one new compressor building (Compressor Plant No. 2) to house: 1) four new natural-gas-fired-compressor (GDC) lean-burn engines (each rated at 5,000 horsepower [HP]) (South Coast AQMD Application Numbers 638015, 638018, 638020, and 638022); 2) four new post-combustion NOx emission control systems for the four GDC lean burn engines, each consisting of a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system and an oxidation catalyst (South Coast AQMD Application Numbers 638016, 638019, 638021, and 638023); 3) one new 8,000-gallon aqueous urea storage tank (South Coast AQMD Application Number 638024); 4) two new electric motor-driven compressors (EDCs), each rated at 5,500 HP (no South Coast AQMD applications required); 5) revision of Title V Permit (South Coast AQMD Application Number 638025) and 6) other ancillary improvements. In addition, after the new equipment becomes fully operational, the SoCalGas Component intends to decommission and demolish five existing natural-gas fired GDC lean-burn engines, each rated at 5,500 HP (South Coast AQMD Application Numbers 498839, 498840, 498841, 498842, and 498843). The existing compressor building at Compressor Plant No. 1 and associated paved areas would remain in place and be repurposed for storage or other operational purposes. The environmental impacts from the SoCalGas Component were previously analyzed in the Final Subsequent Environmental Assessment for Proposed Amended Rule 1110.2 – Emissions from Gaseous- and Liquid-Fueled Engines, and Proposed Amended Rule 1100 – Implementation Schedule for NOx Facilities (November 2019 Final SEA for PAR 1110.2 and PAR 1100), which was certified by the South Coast AQMD Governing Board on November 1, 2019 and which tiers off of the Final Program Environmental Impact Report for the 2016 Air Quality Management Plan (March 2017 Final Program EIR for the 2016 AQMP), which was certified by the South Coast AQMD Governing Board on March 3, 2017. A Notice of Decision for the November 2019 Final SEA for PAR 1110.2 and PAR 1100 was filed with the Office of the Secretary for Resources for posting and a Notice of Determination for the March 2017 Final Program EIR for the 2016 AQMP was filed and posted with the Clerks of the Counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research – State Clearinghouse. As such, the CEQA evaluation of the SoCalGas Component is complete and is not the focus of the Addendum prepared for the SCE Component of HRCM Project or this Notice of Determination. The SCE Component seeks to build a new SCE substation (Retention Substation) connecting to two, new loop-in 66-kilovolt (kV) electrical lines, install new and replacement electrical poles, and establish an electrical interconnection to support the increased electric load associated with the new EDCs, as well as telecommunication interconnections. A circuit breaker would be replaced/upgraded at the Saugus Substation, and upgrades to protection settings would be required at the Haskell and Lockheed Substations. Construction of the SCE Component would occur in multiple phases over seven months. Equipment staging areas for the Retention Substation and related infrastructure work would be located near the Retention Substation site, as well as at a helipad area west of the Pardee Substation and within a gravel laydown yard at the Pardee Substation. The SCE Component of the HRCM Project was not previously analyzed in the November 2019 Final SEA for PAR 1110.2 and PAR 1100, and the March 2017 Final Program EIR for the 2016 AQMP. Thus, South Coast AQMD has prepared an Addendum specific to the SCE Component of the HRCM Project which tiers off of the November 2019 Final SEA for PAR 1110.2 and PAR 1100, and March 2017 Final Program EIR for the 2016 AQMP. As such, the SCE Component of the HRCM Project is the focus of this Notice of Determination.

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