Sylmar Converter Station

The Sylmar Converter Station is where the high voltage DC line from Bonneville Power Administration plants along the Columbia River come into Los Angeles. Known as the Pacific Intertie, this is one of the longest DC lines in the world, carrying as much as 3,000 megawatts at 500,000 volts DC over 850 miles. The original inverter station at Sylmar, constructed in the 1960s, was gradually replaced by a new one, across the highway, which took over the full load in 2004. Power leaves the facility at 230,000 volts AC, and is distributed to the Sylmar Switching Station, and then to the Rinaldi Receiving Station, and Receiving Station J.