Aliso Canyon Storage Facility Project

Overview

Background and Project Need

Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas^®) delivers safe, reliable natural gas to 20.9 million consumers throughout Central and Southern California. To help keep prices low, protect customers from price spikes, and meet higher customer demand for natural gas in the winter, we buy gas throughout the year and store it at our storage facilities like Aliso Canyon. Natural gas from the storage field also helps supply the energy needed for electric generation.

SoCalGas operates and maintains the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, the largest of four such facilities. At the Aliso Canyon storage facility, we store natural gas thousands of feet below the earth’s surface in depleted underground oil fields. Above the stored natural gas are impermeable layers of rock and geological formations. Currently, three natural gas turbine-driven compressors are used to inject the gas deep into the ground. This equipment, installed in the 1970s, must be replaced after years of careful maintenance. To inject the natural gas as needed, we are installing new, efficient electric compressors. In order to operate the electric compressors, Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) will install new and modified electrical sub-transmission facilities.

The Aliso Canyon storage facility, located north of Porter Ranch and Northridge, sits on approximately 3,600 acres of land. The project area is about three-quarters of a mile beyond the Sesnon Boulevard entrance and will be located within a valley on the property. This project is anticipated to result in a significant reduction of air pollutants and greenhouse gases at this site.

Project Description

1. Construct a new compressor building and install new equipment including three 22,000-horsepower (HP) motors, compressors, piping, coolers, and other additional equipment required for the storage operations.
2. Relocate existing office facilities and relocate the facility’s guard house to help improve traffic flow on Sesnon Boulevard.
3. SoCalGas will construct a new 12-kilovolt (kV) power line that will provide dedicated electric service to the upgraded Aliso Canyon storage facility from SCE’s new substation.
4. SCE will construct a customer-dedicated substation at the Aliso Canyon storage facility and will modify an existing 66-kV subtransmission line from SCE’s Newhall Substation in Santa Clarita to the new substation at Aliso Canyon to supply power to the facility.
5. SCE will make minor modifications to three existing SCE substations (Newhall, Chatsworth, and San Fernando Substations) to accommodate the 66-kV service to the Aliso Canyon storage facility.

Aliso Canyon Turbine Replacement Project

Construction continues on the Aliso Canyon Turbine Replacement Project. Approved by the California Public Utilities Commission in November 2013, the project consists of the relocation of the facility’s guard house and offices, and the replacement of older gas turbine-driven compressors with more efficient electric motor-driven compressors. The compressors are used to inject natural gas into the storage reservoir.

This natural underground reservoir allows SoCalGas and our customers to safely store natural gas during non-winter months when prices and demand are often lower, and withdraw the gas during winter when prices and weather-driven demand can be much higher. This helps us provide low-cost and reliable natural gas service to our customers. The new state-of-the-art technology will reduce about 70,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas and other emissions from our operations – or about 90 percent of a typical year’s emissions from the facility. The new equipment is expected to become operational in late 2016.

Community Outreach

To help keep the public and our neighbors updated on project construction and informed of activities that may affect the community, SoCalGas will hold quarterly and annual meetings.

• Quarterly Meetings
  In 2015, quarterly meetings will be held to update the community on the project. The meetings will be held on the following dates:

View Meeting Notes 

• Annual Meetings 
  An annual meeting is held to inform the community on the operations of Aliso Canyon Gas Storage Facility.

Anticipated Project Schedule

1. February 2014 – Construction begins on guardhouse relocation.
2. 2nd Quarter 2014 – Construction begins on office relocation.
3. 3rd Quarter 2014 – Construction begins on Central Compressor Station and Southern California Edison Subtransmission Modifications
4. Late 2016 -- Project is expected to be operational

*Each project phase is subject to issuance of final Notice to Proceed by CPUC.

Aliso Canyon Safety Plan

SoCalGas is committed to being a good steward of our environment and improving fire safety around its facilities. In addition to safety training for our employees, emergency response plans, agency inspections, and well-safety systems, we have implemented the following measures to help ensure safety of our storage facility.

• Aliso Canyon Safety Plan (PDF)
• Brush Clearing schedule and completion dates (PDF)
• Vegetation and weather criteria used in evaluating shut-down of SoCalGas’ electric overhead distribution facility (PDF)
• Current vegetation and weather conditions applicable to Aliso Canyon overhead electric facility shutdown procedures:
  
  
  • National Weather Service - Current Conditions (Red Flag Warnings)*
  • Los Angeles County Living Fuel Moisture (Santa Clarita Chamise Average)*
  • National Weather Service - Non-Living Fuel Moisture, Humidity and Wind Speed*

Safety Audits and Inspections¹

Gas Operations Power Shut-off Event Logs

SoCalGas’ Commitment to Safety

The safety of our customers, the communities we serve and our employees is the top priority for all of us at SoCalGas. To help ensure safe operations of our facilities and to help inform the public of our safety record, we have implemented the following:

• SoCalGas Safety Website
• Pipeline Safety (Includes maps of transmission and high-pressure pipelines)
• SoCalGas’ Safety Plan
• SoCalGas’ annual General Order (GO) 95 and GO 165 Reports submitted to CPUC
  • 2012 Annual Report (PDF)
  • 2013 Annual Report (PDF)

Helpful Resources

• SCE's Information Page on Electric Magnetic Fields *
• California Public Utilities Commission Homepage *
• CPUC Step-by-Step Guide to Regulatory Process (PDF)

For More Information

If you have questions, comments or suggestions about the project or would like to be added to the project mailing list, please contact:

¹ Conducted by public agencies or management personnel. Status is posted within 30 day of issuance.

Updated 1/2015