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Xcel Energy selects transmission line re-build alternative

DENVER - Xcel Energy will re-build an existing transmission line in a long-established utility corridor to move additional power from new electricity generating stations along the Front Range of Colorado, the company announced today.

Xcel Energy’s re-build alternative will upgrade an existing transmission line built in 1974, on a utility corridor originally put in place in 1964. The transmission line re-build starts at the company’s Midway Substation, located halfway between Colorado Springs and Pueblo. It generally follows Interstate 25 north and east of Colorado Springs, and ends at the Daniels Park Substation in Douglas County about 1.5 miles west of the interstate.

“Utilization of this existing transmission line corridor proved to be the best alternative among the many options we studied,” said Don Jones, Xcel Energy director for transmission assets. “The route we have selected is an excellent use of existing resources, it will have minimal impact on surrounding areas, and it is financially the best option for our customers and shareholders.”

Xcel Energy first studied a proposal to use the existing transmission line corridor in 2000, but later decided to look at additional routes to the east, including parts of Arapahoe, Elbert, El Paso and Lincoln counties. Based on a thorough examination of engineering feasibility studies, land use impacts, cost and public input from multiple information meetings, Xcel Energy chose to re-build the line in the existing corridor.

The need for the new transmission line resulted from the 1999 Integrated Resource Plan in Colorado, which in turn addressed the need for additional electric generation facilities in the state. As a result, nearly 2,000 megawatts of new generation will come on line in Colorado between 2001 and 2004.

Xcel Energy will build the new transmission line by periodically removing from service the existing 230-kilovolt-transmission line. Xcel Energy will replace it with double-circuit, 345-kilovolt transmission lines, initially operating at 230 kilovolts. The effort is not expected to result in disruption of service for end-use customers.

To accommodate the re-build alternative’s higher voltage and two circuits, Xcel Energy will install towers that will be 30 feet to 50 feet taller than the existing line’s structures. Xcel Energy might use single-pole construction techniques, or it might use a double-circuit H-frame, or a combination of both. New transmission structures typically will be placed as close as possible to existing structures.

Construction of the proposed re-build alternative will take about six to eight months, including about three months to put up towers and place the power lines. Construction will take place during a period when electricity use typically is lower statewide, presumably in the spring or fall, to occur as early as Fall 2004. With the re-build alternative, Xcel Energy will not need to acquire any new right-of-way.

For more information on the project, please contact Xcel Energy online at www.xcelenergy.com, “About Us” and “Transmission Projects.”