A state commission has voted to allow a major transmission project to share space at a substation near Morgan Hill rather than build on undeveloped land in Coyote Valley—a change officials say protects a critical wildlife corridor while adding enough power capacity to supply more than 600,000 homes across the South Bay.
The California Public Utilities Commission approved the plan March 19, clearing LS Power Grid California to place a high-voltage converter terminal at Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Metcalf substation in south San Jose instead of on an undeveloped 14-acre property beside Coyote Creek that wildlife advocates say is a critical chokepoint for allowing native species to cross the valley.
The project aims to improve reliability in a power grid that has struggled to supply consistent power to homes and businesses in South County. The 1,000-megawatt transmission terminal connects south San Jose with the communities south of Coyote Valley, allowing power to flow in either direction as needed…