The following is a news release from Xcel Energy:
Xcel Energy will soon wrap up a $32 million project to boost the electrical infrastructure of fast-growing communities west of Lubbock.
A new 13-mile, 230-kilovolt high-voltage transmission line has been completed between the existing Wolfforth and Carlisle substations that will help alleviate overloading situations by boosting the carrying capacity of the power grid serving Wolfforth and Shallowater, as well as rural areas stretching westward into Hockley County. Related substation upgrades should be completed in March.
“Those of us living in the Lubbock area know that communities west of the city have experienced strong residential and commercial growth over the past few years,” said Steve Deaton, Xcel Energy’s regional manager for Community and Economic Development in Lubbock. “Growth like this is only sustainable when the basic infrastructure can keep up, and this new line will position these communities for decades of additional expansion.”
The Wolfforth-Carlisle project is part of a larger effort known as “Power for the Plains” that is enhancing the power grid across all of Xcel Energy’s New Mexico and Texas service area. Xcel Energy has invested in more than 800 miles of new transmission lines and close to a dozen new substations across its New Mexico and Texas service area since 2011, with more than 500 miles of additional line to be completed by 2021. This overall transmission expansion represents more than $3 billion in investment. Learn more about current and upcoming projects at www.powerfortheplains.com.
The Wolfforth Substation is located on Farm-to-Market Road 1585 just west of U.S. Highway 62 in western Lubbock County. Carlisle Substation is located in western Lubbock at the intersection of Farm-to-Market Road 2255 and Quincy Avenue. As part of the new line project, these substations are being expanded to allow for 230-kilovolt service.
Transmission lines transport electricity from power sources into towns, cities and industrial areas. Substations transform electricity to lower voltages and send them along distribution lines that are located up and down city streets and alleys. A kilovolt is equal to 1,000 volts. Electricity at the residential and commercial level is served at 120 and 240 volts.
(News release from Xcel Energy)
