SDG&E’s proposed Powerlink raises wildfire concerns amid growing need for power

By Tammy Murga / Environment Reporter Published August 26, 2026 at 5:59 PM PDT Dozens of residents huddled over poster boards at an open house at the Fallbrook Community Center Tuesday evening.The signs mapped the 500-kilovolt line San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) wants to build. Its proposed 145-mile route would start at the utility’s Imperial Valley substation and run above ground to the border of Orange and San Diego counties near the San Onofre Generating Station.An unspecified mileage would run through the northwestern corner Fallbrook, near where Carol Gibson lives.Over the weekend, she became the owner of her first electric vehicle and “I’ll be putting in solar panels (at home) in two months to reduce my SDG&E bill,” she said.The 30-year resident said she understands the need for more power.“We have battery phones, we have other kinds of battery things, but most of it comes through the circuitry of SDG&E,” said Gibson.

“Obviously, we need it. How we get it is another question.”California’s peak demand is expected to double by 2045, driven largely by electric vehicle sales, data centers and the replacement of gas-powered systems with electric ones, according to state regulators.SDG&E officials have said the Powerlink line would help the state meet that growing demand.“Transmission lines are like freeways,” said Alex Welling, the utility’s spokesperson.

First reported by KPBS.