Drought Drives Power Projects
So far this year, Southern California Edison has had more than 200 requests from farmers for well pump service connections.
California’s Central Valley, the source of a quarter of the nation’s food, not only needs more water, but more horsepower — specifically, to drive pumps that extract groundwater from wells. With surface water scarce, well-pump users need up to three times the horsepower — and more electricity — to reach decreasing water levels in aquifers.
In short, the valley needs more power and the clock is ticking.
“Customers are adding pumps at an unprecedented rate,” said Michael Peterson, a senior engineer at Southern California Edison (SCE), citing more than 200 requests for well pump service connections in the Central Valley already this year.
SCE is working quickly to meet the increasing demand for electricity by bolstering equipment and circuits at its key Central Valley substations, completing the upgrades in one-third of the standard turnaround time or less. This is just one way the utility is helping Central Valley customers impacted by the ongoing drought.
Read full stoy on Edison's Online Newsroom.
