Cargo - Northgate Bank 2 Upgrade
Summary
SCH Number
2025060773
Public Agency
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Document Title
Cargo - Northgate Bank 2 Upgrade
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
6/17/2025
Document Description
The Cargo-Northgate Bank 2 Upgrade Project (Project) is located within an existing SMUD substation located at 4104 Northgate Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95834 in Sacramento County. This substation is surrounded by highly developed residential, commercial and industrial land uses and is situated southeast of N Market Blvd, east of Northgate Blvd & north of Interstate 80. This substation improvement project aims to enhance the capacity of the Cargo-Northgate substation within the existing substation footprint to ensure continued reliability and system capacity in
response to growing energy demands in the area. The substation currently contains two transformer banks, and project improvements will be limited to upgrading the second transformer bank (Bank 2), which involves the demolition and replacement of the associated electrical infrastructure and equipment at that bank.
Construction upgrades will begin with the removal of the existing 4.69 megavolt-amperes (MVA) transformer and associated switch pole from Bank 2. All related foundations, including those for the transformer, switchgear, capacitor banks, and switch pole, will be demolished. Once site preparation is complete, new concrete foundations will be constructed to support the new 25 MVA transformer, three feeder switchgear, and three 12 kilovolt (12 kV) capacitor banks will be installed.
All work will occur within the existing substation footprint, and the total area of temporary ground disturbance is expected to be approximately 0.25 acres. The project is scheduled to begin in October 2026 and be completed by June 2027.
Contact Information
Name
Ammon Rice
Agency Name
SMUD
Job Title
Supervisor, Environmental Services
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Sacramento
Counties
Sacramento
Regions
Countywide
Cross Streets
southeast of N Market Blvd, east of Northgate Blvd
Zip
95834
Other Information
4104 Northgate Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95834
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Section 15301, Section 15302 and Section 15303
Reasons for Exemption
Under CEQA Guidelines §15062, a lead agency must identify the rationale for making the determination that a project is exempt under CEQA. SMUD has reviewed and determined that the Project is categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA pursuant to Sections 15301 (Existing Facilities), 15302 (Replacement and Reconstruction) and 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures).
§15301 Existing Facilities applies to projects that consist of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alternations of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing at the time of the lead agency’s determination. Examples of this exemption include but are not limited to: (b) “Existing facilities of both investor and publicly owned utilities used to provide electric power, natural gas, sewerage, or other public utility services.”
§15302 Replacement or Reconstruction applies to projects that consist of replacement or reconstruction of existing structures and facilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the structure replaced and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced. Examples of this exemption include but are not limited to: (d) “Conversion of overhead electric utility distribution system facilities to underground including connection to existing overhead electric utility distribution lines where surface is restored to the condition existing prior to the undergrounding.”
§15303 New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures applies to projects that consist of construction and location of limited numbers of new, small facilities or structures; installation of small new equipment and facilities in small structures; and the conversion of existing small structures from one use to another where only minor modifications are made in the exterior of the structure. Examples of this exemption include but are not limited to: (d) “Water main, sewage, electrical, gas, and other utility extensions, including street improvements, of reasonable length to serve such construction.”
Thus, the Project will involve the repair and minor alteration of an existing substation facility resulting in no change or expansion of use, the replacement of substation infrastructure in the same location and conversion of small electric facilities or structures. Therefore, no further environmental review is required.
County Clerk
Sacramento
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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