A 500-kilovolt Sunrise Powerlink transmission line broke ground in Southern California Thursday, demonstrating the state's resolve to promote its clean energy policy.

The project will enable California to deliver enough clean energy to power 650,000 homes and create approximately 2,000 jobs, the state's governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said at a groundbreaking ceremony.

"The construction of the Sunrise Powerlink is a huge win for Californians," Schwarzenegger said.

"This transmission line opens the door for additional green investments and job creation in the Imperial Valley, while helping us meet our renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals and improving the reliability of our power grid," he said.

The governor said these are the types of big, bold projects that California needs to make the transition to a clean energy future.

The Sunrise Powerlink transmission line, which will carry up to 1,000 megawatts, spans from Imperial County to San Diego, about 128 km south of Los Angeles.

With project construction beginning this month, the line will begin service in 2012.

Once completed, the project will meet California's 33 percent of renewable energy demand, Schwarzenegger said.

California has led the nation in renewable energy development with over 270 renewable energy projects, totaling approximately 70,000 megawatts.