Southern California Edison Commissions 500/115 kV Alberhill Substation to Relieve Riverside County Grid Overload
To prevent recurring rolling blackouts across rapidly expanding Riverside County, Southern California Edison (SCE) has energized the new 500/115 kV Alberhill...
Southern California Edison Commissions 500/115 kV Alberhill Substation to Relieve Riverside County Grid Overload
To prevent recurring rolling blackouts across rapidly expanding Riverside County, Southern California Edison (SCE) has energized the new 500/115 kV Alberhill Substation, deploying two 560 MVA step-down power transformers equipped with wildfire-hardened polymer bushings.
- Publish date: 2026-09-23
- Category: HVDC & Substations
- Original source: Southern California Edison (SCE) Transmission Engineering
- Reading time: 4 min
Relieving Thermal Strain on the Valley Substation System
For over a decade, electrical distribution across Western Riverside County was dependent entirely on the aging Valley 500/115 kV Substation, frequently exceeding its 2,800 MVA emergency thermal limit during heatwaves. Alberhill loops into SCE’s Serrano-Valley 500 kV transmission line.
The facility features two 560 MVA three-phase 500/115 kV step-down transformers with low-noise radiator fans, seismic base isolation pads rated for 0.6g ground acceleration, and remote digital monitoring.
Wildfire Hardening and Advanced Substation Automation
Due to high wildfire threat tier conditions, SCE deployed hydrophobic composite silicone rubber bushings instead of porcelain, eliminating the risk of catastrophic ceramic shattering during nearby brush fires.
The substation utilizes IEC 61850 process bus digital relaying, allowing California ISO dispatchers to reconfigure regional power flows within milliseconds during transmission contingencies.
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