Get the connection route in writing
Start with the address or road, county and parcel number if available. Ask whether SCE would serve this particular project and where the company proposes to connect. A line beside the property, or a description of the area as SCE territory, does not establish the provider or available capacity at that location.
SCE describes WDAT as a distribution route for wholesale transactions involving the CAISO-controlled grid. Its Rule 21 page distinguishes eligible customer or program uses from sales to third parties or the market. Those wholesale sales require a federal-tariff route: SCE distribution under WDAT, or a transmission connection through CAISO, depending on the project.
Ask the engineer to explain where the battery would get its charging power, where its output would go and which process matches that operation. “Rule 21,” “WDAT” and “CAISO” should describe the actual proposal, rather than appear as interchangeable labels in an offer. This page does not determine the route or capacity for your parcel.
Reference: SCE: wholesale distribution interconnection and charging-service guidance · SCE: Rule 21 exporting eligibility and non-exporting applications
Separate a preliminary report from an application
If a developer says it has “checked the grid,” ask what it obtained. SCE offers an optional WDAT pre-application report with available information for a particular site, line or voltage. The listed information can include substation capacity, approximate distance, line loading and other equipment details.
That report gives technical context. It is not an interconnection agreement, a reserved connection or a local permit. Ask for its date, the proposed connection point and an explanation of which assumptions still need study. A number in a preliminary report does not establish that the proposed battery can connect at that size.
For an actual application, request the named applicant and its current written status. SCE’s current WDAT overview directs interconnection requests to its online GIPT tool. Submission, validation, studies and an executed agreement are different stages. Ask what has been completed, what remains and what it could cost.
Reference: SCE: generator interconnection processes · SCE: wholesale distribution interconnection and charging-service guidance
Understand why the company wants an option before studies finish
SCE’s posted WDAT site-control guidelines describe exclusive rights to use the proposed land for development, construction, operation and maintenance. Ownership, a lease, an option or another suitable agreement may be used to document those rights. This helps explain why a company may request a signed land agreement while connection work remains uncertain.
The guidelines call for a clear project footprint and documents supporting the applicant’s rights. Examples of problems include unsigned options, incomplete agreements, essential information removed from documents and a mismatch between the applicant and the party holding the rights. Ask which entity is applying, which entity would sign your agreement and how any assignment would work.
Do not let the utility’s documentation needs replace your review of the offer. Ask what rights you would grant now, what you receive during the option, when it expires and what lets the company extend or terminate it. Have your adviser compare those terms with the proposed footprint and applicant. A signed option can bind your land while the project is still being evaluated.
Reference: SCE: WDAT RIP site-control guidelines for QC15 and subsequent clusters
Want to ask about your land?
Send the location and what you know. You don’t need a project plan.
Tell us about your landCheck the map and how your documents would be handled
Ask for a map that identifies every affected parcel and the part of each parcel the company needs. SCE’s guidelines address property descriptions and mapped boundaries; a vague reference to a corner of a large property can leave the requested rights unclear. Compare the application footprint with the option exhibit.
Also request an owner-readable layout showing battery equipment, entrances, roads, cables and any separate utility facilities. A site-control acreage calculation does not by itself show that a complete project fits. Discuss the land you will keep using and what happens if later engineering requires more space or another access route.
The guidelines describe supporting ownership and agreement documents, including documents with essential terms intact. Before giving the company private contracts or title records, ask which documents it needs, who receives them, how they are submitted and how copies are protected. You do not need to upload those documents to make an initial Sunland inquiry.
Reference: SCE: WDAT RIP site-control guidelines for QC15 and subsequent clusters · SCE: wholesale distribution interconnection and charging-service guidance
Ask about charging service as well as exporting power
A battery needs power to charge. Ask whether the proposal includes charging from the grid, charging from onsite generation or both, and whether the developer has addressed the service needed for that operation. The ability to export electricity does not answer every charging-service question.
SCE’s WDAT page describes a separate annual January 1–15 request window for certain increases in as-available charging distribution service. Its stated scope is existing or queued storage without new equipment or an increase in interconnection megawatts at the connection point. It is not a general application window for every new battery project.
Ask the engineer whether that specific process applies, what service is being requested and what restrictions or costs remain. SCE distinguishes firm charging service from that window. An owner should not have to infer a complete charging arrangement from a presentation that discusses only export capacity.
Reference: SCE: wholesale distribution interconnection and charging-service guidance
Match the utility schedule to your option deadlines
SCE’s process directory listed the 2026 WDAT cluster window as September 11–25, with a notice that the schedule could change. Those listed dates had passed when this guide was checked on October 7. SCE’s WDAT overview also describes a separate CAISO deliverability application step for certain projects. Ask the team which requirements apply and what it actually submitted.
If the company says it must wait for another window, ask why, what it will do during that wait and whether the proposed option fairly pays you for holding the land. Put extension rights, decision dates and release of unused land in the private agreement. A utility calendar does not establish when your rent begins.
Local approvals remain a separate issue: SCE says it does not issue local permits. Ask about both the connection and the land-use review, along with who funds studies and upgrades. To contact Sunland, start with name, email, phone and property location. California is selected here and can be corrected; county is required, while acreage and parcel number are optional. Your inquiry does not reserve the land or submit a utility application.
Reference: SCE: generator interconnection processes · SCE: wholesale distribution interconnection and charging-service guidance · SCE: Rule 21 exporting eligibility and non-exporting applications
Questions landowners ask
Does an SCE pre-application report mean the battery is approved?
No. It provides available technical information for the specified location. Ask which application, studies, agreements and local approvals still need to be completed.
Can every battery proposal use Rule 21?
No. SCE distinguishes eligible customer or program uses from wholesale sales to third parties or the market. Ask the engineer to identify the route for the proposed operation and connection.
Why would a developer need an option before it has a final connection?
SCE’s posted WDAT site-control guidelines call for documented rights to the proposed site. Review the actual rights, option payments, footprint and expiration separately; the utility requirement does not supply those private terms.
Is the January charging-service window for all new batteries?
No. The described window concerns certain increases in as-available charging service for existing or queued storage, without new equipment or an increase in interconnection megawatts. Ask which charging process applies to the actual proposal.
Do I need to send a lease or title report to contact Sunland?
No. Start with contact details and the property location. Acreage and parcel number are optional, and private contracts are not required for the initial inquiry.
Sources & further reading
SCE’s process directory, WDAT overview and selected pre-application, initiation and charging-service sections, Rule 21 eligibility/non-export sections and four-page site-control guidelines checked October 7. Full tariffs, the underlying FERC order, cluster/legacy procedures and private applications were not reviewed. Posted tariffs and applicable regulations prevail over website summaries. Local rules and program details can change. Check the requirements for the actual project.