Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Courtesy photo: Xcel Energy A 75-foot pole erected near the Bailey County Substation south of Muleshoe connects to the new 115-kilovolt transmission line recently completed by Xcel Energy.
STAFF WRITER
Xcel Energy’s latest project connects New Mexico and Texas in a powerful way.
According to Xcel Energy’s press release, the completed $38 million transmission line spans more than 37 miles between the Curry County Substation east of Clovis to the Bailey County Substation south of Muleshoe.
Courtesy photo: Xcel Energy
A 75-foot pole erected near the Bailey County Substation south of Muleshoe connects to the new 115-kilovolt transmission line recently completed by Xcel Energy.
The line is now the second of two 115-kilovolt lines going into the Bailey County Substation.
The upgrade was the result of a study by Southwest Power Pool, the regional transmission organization that identified the area’s need for a stronger transmission link.
As described in the press release, transmission lines move electricity from power-generating sources into load centers. Transformers at the substation then lower the voltage before power is sent down lines in streets and alleys for distribution to customers.
Xcel Energy Spokesperson Wes Reeves said the added Curry-Bailey line helps with potential power issues, generally weather-related, that a single line couldn’t handle as well on its own.
“Transmission lines are part of a network,” he said, “and as a whole, the network is strengthened any time we can bring in another line. We now have this extra line coming in so if there is ever a problem on the network, this boosts our reliability of the system.”
Reeves said as the economy expands, so will the need for power in different regions.
“This gives us another link to do that,” he said. “Both reliability and capacity of the system have improved.”
The project, which began in 2014, is just one of many expected in the next several years from the power company’s subsidiary — Southwestern Public Service Company — in its $1.6 billion “Power for the Plains” transmission expansion plan in New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.
Wes said another local project in the works is the 21-mile Portales Loop, expected to reach in-service in March 2018. According to the Power for the Plains website, the estimated $29 million transmission line will connect Portales, Greyhound and South Portales substations.
