On December 8, 1998, a disturbance at that substation tripped it offline; the resulting chain reaction also would knock the transmission lines out of service and shut down both Hunters Point and Potrero electric generating stations, causing a power outage covering most of the city for eight hours.

[8] The SFSSG also studied projects to enhance long-term reliability, which included an evaluation of several proposals for transmission lines across San Francisco Bay.

The capital costs of the alternatives were approximately equal, but the HVDC technology proposed for the TBC project would have reduced transmission losses.

[11] Babcock & Brown (B&B) executed a development agreement with the City of Pittsburg in January 2004, and introduced the project to CAISO in February.

The original intent was for B&B to develop the cable project and finance it, then transfer ownership to the city's municipal utility (Pittsburg Power) and convey transmission rights to CAISO.

Another Manson Construction Company barge, Hagar, was used to perform post-lay burial activities, including placing flexible concrete mats for protection.

[19] The cable was laid, buried, and connected at each end by December 3, 2009, and a preliminary test was conducted on January 15, 2010, successfully transmitting 400 MW to the San Francisco grid.

[21] TBC was damaged in September 2014 after MV Ocean Life dropped anchor after losing power near the Benicia–Martinez bridge;[22] repairs took four months to complete.

[23] In 2018, Siemens upgraded the control system, allowing black start capability, which enables the TBC to support critical infrastructure needs in San Francisco as the sole source of power, without relying on the local grid.