Presidential Permit Issued by United States Department of Energy

On June 12, 2008 the Department of Energy issued the Presidential Permit that is required to construct an electric transmission line across the U.S. international border. This is the American counterpart to the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity ("CPCN"), which was granted in September of 2006 by Canada's National Energy Board.

As part of the process, DOE prepares an Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") that assesses the project's potential impacts on both the environment and the reliability of the U.S. electric transmission system. THE EIS incorporates input, comments and recommendations from the U.S. Departments of State and Defense, numerous federal and state agencies, Native American tribes, and the public.

Both the DOE's Presidential Permit and the National Energy Board's CPCN are the first permits ever issued by these agencies for a private sector-led international transmission project, and Sea Breeze is very proud of this achievement.

Final Environmental Impact Statement Approved by BPA and DOE

On June 10th, 2008, Sea Breeze received notification that the Bonneville Power Administration ("BPA") and the Department of Energy's ("DOE") Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability signed the Record of Decision ("ROD"), approving our final Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") for the project.

In issuing its decision, BPA stated the project is "consistent with BPA's open access transmission tariff and it meets the project objectives of 1) maintaining system reliability, 2) being consistent with BPA's environmental and social responsibilities, and 3) being cost efficient." The next step is for BPA and Sea Breeze to negotiate terms for interconnection of the Juan de Fuca cable to the Federal Columbia River Transmission System.

Canadian Permit Approved by National Energy Board, Sept. 7, 2006

Canada's National Energy Board has approved Sea Breeze's application for the proposed Juan de Fuca Cable (JdF) Project.

This marks the first merchant International Power Line (IPL) approved by the NEB.

With the completion of this phase of the regulatory proceedings, Sea Breeze will now focus on the certificate conditions set out by the NEB as well as the application for a Presidential Permit in the US.

Click here for more detailed information from the NEB.

Keeping you in the loop

Sea Breeze recognizes the importance of access to reliable information when it comes to keeping up to date on what’s happening in your community.  Since the beginning of 2005 we have:

• Identified people with interest in the project and sent information with maps and updates
• Held open houses and an information session to provide an opportunity for interested parties to ask questions and voice their concerns directly to Sea Breeze staff
• Visited residences along the proposed route in order to provide information, answer questions in person and address concerns
• Provided comment sheets both at open houses and online to gather input and address concerns/questions
• Provided contact information and made ourselves available to provide interested parties with the opportunity to contact Sea Breeze staff directly.
• Sent out emails regularly with project updates to a list of identified interested parties
• Made presentations to municipal councils about the Project

Specifically, landowners and residents near the proposed cable route were sent information about the Juan de Fuca Project via mail, and were invited to open houses in July, September and October 2005 and in January 2006 to learn more about the technology being used and the rationale behind the routing.  A public information session was also held in April 2006 in View Royal regarding HVDC Light® technology and Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs). 

Sea Breeze remains committed to addressing community issues through consultation with individuals or groups who may be affected by the project.  We believe collaboration, ongoing dialogue and a strong and positive relationship with local communities is the best way to develop this Project. Consultation to date has involved:

• Municipalities
• First Nations
• The public
• Environmental organizations
• Agencies with jurisdiction over Project activities

Issues arising from consultation with stakeholders and government were addressed in our NEB application to ensure that the safest, most reliable and most environmentally friendly route would be selected. 

Public, First Nations and Government interests are assessed on an ongoing basis, and will remain an integral part of the process.

To date, concerns expressed by municipal or infrastructure owners have included:

• Traffic control
• Pavement restoration
• Crossings
• Timely completion of the project once it begins

Sea Breeze is confident that these issues can be resolved through the negotiation of applicable commercial agreements, and by working collaboratively with municipalities to develop mutually acceptable detailed plans and designs with respect to existing utilities.  For a closer look at how Sea Breeze will be dealing with some of these concerns, please visit our FAQ section.

If you would like to receive information about the Juan de Fuca Cable Project, please contact us.