Sunrise Powerlink will help ensure reliable electricity for our homes and businesses. "In San Diego, the majority of load is served by heavily congested transmission lines which cannot alone meet this region’s reliability needs by 2010. New transmission is urgently needed to meet the increasing demand fueled by rapid population growth in the area."      - California Energy Commission 2005 Integrated Energy Policy Report "The Sunrise Powerlink transmission line would dramatically improve the reliability of the state’s electric transmission grid by providing an ‘energy superhighway’ that would reduce congestion on existing lines and help protect against future transmission outages that can lead to blackouts. San Diego’s electric transmission system has only two links to the state’s energy grid. At peak times when demand is high, these two connections near ‘energy gridlock’ - just like a freeway at rush hour. Securing a reliable and affordable energy supply is crucial to California businesses and the state’s continued economic growth."      - Dominic DiMare, vice president of government relations, California Chamber of Commerce "[The Sunrise Powerlink] Project solves San Diego’s known import reliability problem for 2010 and beyond without introducing any new reliability concerns."      - California Independent Service Operator (CASIO) South Regional Transmission Plan for 2006 "Southern California’s economic and strategic significance to the Nation is so large that the Department finds it to be a Critical Congestion Area."      - U.S. Department of Energy, National Electric Transmission Congestion Study, 2006 "One of the primary difficulties with the Renewable Portfolio Standard program is the lack of adequate transmission to access important renewable resources in Tehachapi and the Imperial Valley that could help meet Renewable Portfolio Standard goals."      - California Energy Commission 2006 Integrated Energy Policy Report Update "The Imperial Valley is one of the state’s most promising sources of renewable generation. Geothermal resources today produce around 450 MW in the Imperial Valley, and developers estimate that an additional 1,350 to 1,950 MW could be developed over the next 15 years."      - California Energy Commission 2005 Integrated Energy Policy Report "Increasing California’s energy supply with renewable energy is good not only for our state’s growing economy, but it is great for our environment, as well. The 1000 megawatts of renewable energy Sunrise Powerlink will bring to our grid eliminates up to 7 million tons of greenhouse gas that would be emitted if this needed energy were generated by fossil fuel."      - Allan Zaremberg, President, California Chamber of Commerce "[Sunrise Powerlink] provides positive net economic value for the CAISO ratepayers as its benefit outweighs its cost."      - CAISO South Regional Transmission Plan for 2006 "[Sunrise Powerlink] would provide significant near-term system reliability benefits to California, reduce system congestion and its resultant costs, and provide an interconnection to both renewable resources located in the Imperial Valley and lower-cost, out-of state generation."      - California Energy Commission 2006 Integrated Energy Policy Report Update "Southern California needs new transmission capability to reach generation sources outside the region for reliability, economics, and compliance with the state’s renewable portfolio standard."      - U.S. Department of Energy, National Electric Transmission Congestion Study, 2006