Thirty-six miles of power cables connecting Pasadena’s main electrical stations are aging and should be replaced, city officials said.
On Monday, the City Council will vote on a major step: a $40.9 million contract to purchase replacement cables for lines that currently deliver electricity to more than half of the city’s 65,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers.
The urgency stems from the city’s 2022 Power Delivery Master Plan, which the City Council approved in June 2022. The plan deemed the upgrades essential for ensuring adequate power transfer capacity across the city during peak demand periods, like hot summers.
Monday’s agenda report indicates that Pasadena Water and Power will need to de-energize the subtransmission lines during the six-month replacement period, forcing the city to rely more heavily on internal power generation while import capacity is reduced.
The timing adds another layer of complexity.
Copper prices, which comprise approximately 75% of the cable costs, dropped 8.4% in April after surging in the first quarter, the report said.
Meanwhile, aluminum prices are forecast to rise more than 6% year-over-year, while rubber and plastic product indexes have increased by more than 5%, creating a volatile pricing environment for the massive infrastructure purchase.
Pasadena Water and Power plans to begin replacing the Path Two Cable Replacement Project cables in October 2026, with the project expected to be completed before summer 2027.
The department is already developing technical specifications for a construction contractor, with staff planning to present that recommendation to the City Council by fall 2025.
Pasadena Water and Power is requesting authorization for City Manager Marquez to enter into a contract with Anixter, Inc. of Santa Fe Springs. The recommended contract includes 240,152 feet of cable.
About 212,472 feet will be installed as part of the Path Two Cable Replacement Project. The remaining 27,680 feet will be stored in Pasadena Water and Power’s warehouse inventory for risk mitigation and emergency response efforts.
Only two companies bid on the project by the April 17 deadline.
Anixter submitted the lowest responsive bid at $37.2 million. CME Wire and Cable of Suwanee, Georgia, bid $41 million.
The total contract amount includes the base bid of $37.2 million plus a $3.7 million contingency for potential change orders.
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