Xcel Energy completes major transmission line
Xcel Energy completed a 3-year-long effort to build a 386 km superhighway for high-voltage electricity transmission between W Texas and SE New Mexico.
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USA, New Mexico, Roswell: Xcel Energy completed a three-year-long effort to build a 386 km (240 mi) superhighway for high-voltage electricity transmission between West Texas and southeastern New Mexico.
It is a major achievement of the company’s Power for the Plains grid enhancement initiative, transporting a more reliable, abundant and affordable electricity supply to boost economic prospects in both states.
Known as the TUCO-to-China Draw project, the new 345 kV transmission line runs between the TUCO Substation north of Abernathy, Texas, in the heart of the South Plains agriculture and oil industries, and the China Draw Substation southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico, in one of the nation’s richest oil and gas producing areas.
Xcel Energy brought the project in at 9 % under budget, delivering even more long-term savings to customers.
“The TUCO-China Draw project is part of a decade-long transmission build-out that is powering the expansion of the region’s core industries while delivering savings to all our customers in the form of lower energy costs,” said David Hudson, president, Xcel Energy – New Mexico, Texas. “It is a historic achievement for our employees and contractors that benefits our communities and customers for decades with an ample supply of low-cost electricity.”
The TUCO-China Draw line is the western extension of another 345 kV transmission line built in 2014 from TUCO Substation eastward to a major power hub near Woodward, Okla.
In addition to greater access to more affordable power supplies, Xcel Energy’s investments in new connections to the wider market quadrupled the company’s electricity import capabilities, boosting the region’s power supply during peak demand months.
Affordable and reliable power has long been one of the regional economy’s primary strengths, Hudson said, and Xcel Energy has worked in partnership with area leaders to build long-term value in the communities the company serves in Texas and New Mexico.
Source: abc 7 News