California Construction News staff writer
The City of Fremont has signed a memorandum of understanding with LS Power Grid California to streamline permitting for construction of a new underground transmission line that will run through the city as part of the 230-kilovolt Power the South Bay Project.
The agreement is intended to expedite approvals for the Newark to Northern Receiving Station transmission line and includes LS Power Grid California’s commitment to install and dedicate about six miles of high-capacity broadband conduit to the city.
Regional energy capacity will be added and new infrastructure to support Fremont’s long-term broadband goals. The new 12-mile transmission line, selected by the California ISO in 2023, will connect Pacific Gas & Electric’s Newark Substation in Fremont with Silicon Valley Power’s Northern Receiving Station.
According to the city, the project will provide enough additional power to serve about 600,000 single-family homes, increase grid resiliency with bidirectional power flow, and support economic growth tied to manufacturing, electrification and rapidly expanding data-center demand. The International Energy Agency projects AI-driven data centers will account for half of the nation’s electricity-demand growth through 2030. Fremont is home to seven of the world’s 10 largest data-center server manufacturers.
“The broadband conduit being dedicated to the City aligns directly with our Fiber Optic Master Plan and supports our broader goals of expanding connectivity, smart growth, and improving city services,” Mayor Raj Salwan said in a statement.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2026 along Boyce Road, Cushing Parkway and Fremont Boulevard. The city said its Pavement Management Plan will be coordinated with project work to minimize disruptions.
Lucy Marton, project manager for LS Power Grid California, said the partnership demonstrates a shared commitment to “resilient, creative infrastructure solutions that keep residents and businesses in Fremont powered and connected for the future.”
The Power the South Bay Project will ultimately add 1 gigawatt of new transmission capacity in southern Alameda County and strengthen reliability across the South Bay region.
Additional information about the Power the South Bay Area Project is available at the project website.
