SoCal Edison tells Adelanto council demand has doubled since 2016; outlines feeder and substation upgrades

Southern California Edison representatives presented updated local load and distribution plans to the Adelanto City Council on Feb. 12, saying the utility has seen a substantial increase in power demand tied to local development.

Amanda Hernandez, SCE’s government relations manager for the High Desert, introduced the team and said the area’s real-time demand rose from about 29 megavolt amps in 2016 to roughly 63 MVA in 2024. “We had approximately 34 MVA in just under a 10-year time period,” SCE engineer Tim Perkins said, summarizing the company’s SCADA-based measurements and its conservative 10-year forecasts.

Perkins walked council through recent work and near-term projects: a transformer bank installed at the roadway substation in late 2023 that added capacity, the Duramax feeder energized in Q4 2024, and additional feeders (El Mirage, Tippec, Suzu and Great Dane) staged for 2025–2027. He cautioned that target in-service dates depend on permitting and materials procurement and said much of the near-term circuit capacity is already reserved for customers who submitted service requests.

Troy Winn, SCE’s economic development adviser, described a power-site search tool SCE offers to developers and a “Doctor Papp” public-facing map that shows substations, distribution circuits and high-level capacity. “If we work with you early enough, we can avoid some of the pitfalls as far as locating a site or a business in an area that may not be able to serve within the short timeline that the customer is asking for,” Winn said.

Winn also reviewed an Economic Development Rate (EDR) that SCE can offer in three scenarios—retention, expansion and attraction—providing up to a 12% discount over a multiyear term when a compelling business case and required disclosures are provided.

Mayor Reyes and other council members pressed staff and SCE on queue management for reserved capacity, noting past delays associated with early cannabis-related reservations. Ruby Rose of SCE’s new-construction group said the utility actively contacts applicants in the queue to verify project status and will reassign capacity if customers are no longer moving forward. “If they are not or unable to get a hold of the customer, then they will proceed on to the next application,” she said.

Councilmembers raised resilience and local planning concerns—Mayor Pro Tem Ramos emphasized the need to prioritize resilience (not just reliability and readiness), and Councilmember Mesa suggested examining unused easements and tower corridors for community uses. Hernandez said she would pass those items to SCE’s real-property and safety teams and provide the council with the presentation and outreach materials.

What happens next: council and city staff will continue weekly coordination with SCE’s local planners and will request the presentation materials and a technical cost-and-maintenance breakdown if the city pursues deeper partnerships or site-specific capacity for incoming developments.