Project Owner
Vantage
Docket Number
21-SPPE-01
Capacity
96 MW
Location
Santa Clara
Technology
Backup Generating System
Project Status
Exempted
Project Type
Small Power Plant Exemption
Project Description

The CA3 Backup Generating Facility will consist of a total of forty-four (44) 2.75-MW diesel fired generators that will be used exclusively to provide up to 96 MW of backup emergency generation to support the CA3 Data Center, to be located at 2590 Walsh Avenue in Santa Clara, California. Forty (40) of the generators would be dedicated to replace the electricity needs of the data center in case of a loss of utility power, and four (4) of the generators would be used to support redundant critical cooling equipment and other general building and life safety services (house generators).

Presiding Member: Siva Gunda, Commissioner

Associate Member: Kourtney Vaccaro, Commissioner

Hearing Officer: Susan Cochran and Kristen Driskell

  • 4/5/2021 - Small Power Plant Exemption (SPPE) filed
  • 1/21/2022- Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) docketed to CEC webpage
  • 1/24/2022- Draft EIR published by State Clearinghouse
  • 3/9/2022-  Deadline for Comments
  • 3/24/2022- Final EIR, Response to Comments, and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program Filed
  • 4/14/2022- Opening testimony
  • 4/26/2022- CEC Staff's Rebuttal Testimony Filed
  • 4/26/2022- Notice of Prehearing Conference and Revised Scheduling Orders
  • 5/2/2022- CEC Staff's Prehearing Conference Statement Filed
  • 5/10/2022- Combination Prehearing Conference/Evidentiary Hearing Scheduled CANCELLED
  • 5/19/2022- Revised Notice of Prehearing Conference/Evid. Hearing and Revised Scheduling Order
  • 5/24/2022- Prehearing Conference Conducted
  • 5/272022- Evidentiary Hearing Conducted
  • 6/22/2022-CEC staff filed Update to Air Quality section of FEIR
  • 7/27/2022-Committee Conference conducted
  • 8/10/2022-Commission moved on a unanimous vote to approve the exemption

Small Power Plant Exemption

The CEC Small Power Plant Exemption (SPPE) process allows applicants proposing thermal power plants between 50 and 100 MW to obtain an exemption from the CEC’s jurisdiction and proceed with local permitting rather than requiring CEC certification. The CEC can grant an exemption if it finds that the proposed facility will not create a substantial adverse impact on the environment or energy resources. These facilities were exempted from the CEC’s jurisdiction.

Contacts

Project Manager

Eric Veerkamp
STEPsiting@energy.ca.gov
(Please enter project name in the email subject line)
916-661-8458

Public Participation Questions

Public Advisor
publicadvisor@energy.ca.gov
916-957-7910

Media Inquiries

Media & Public Communications Office
mediaoffice@energy.ca.gov
916-654-4989

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