Sylmar Electrical Conversion Station to Boost Power Capacity
A $140-million electrical conversion station in Sylmar that is an extension of the nation’s largest direct electrical current transmission system was unveiled Thursday by five utility companies.
The facility, to be called the Sylmar Converter Station-East, will boost the capacity of the Pacific Intertie, the line between the Pacific Northwest and Southern California, from 2,000 megawatts to 3,100 megawatts, said Bernard Palk, assistant chief engineer of power for the Department of Water and Power.
That is enough additional electricity to handle all the electrical needs of 1.5 million people, said DWP spokeswoman Dorothy Jensen.
The Sylmar station is an extension of a conversion facility near the intersection of the San Diego and Golden State freeways. Both are owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Palk said the facility is designed to convert alternating current to direct current for transmission between stations, and then to convert the direct current back to alternating current for distribution to utility customers. Direct current is preferred for long-distance lines because less current is lost in the transmission process, Jensen said.
The Pacific Intertie has delivered electricity from hydroelectric plants and generating stations in the Pacific Northwest to the Sylmar station since 1970. In times of low production or great electricity demand in the Pacific Northwest, the system can send power generated in Southern California northward.
The southern portion of the transmission system is owned by the DWP, Southern California Edison Co. and the cities of Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena.
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