A transmission line to bring electricity powered by wind farms in eastern Colorado became operational this week providing electricity for the Denver area.
Xcel Energy, the largest utility in Colorado announced completion and energization of the 345-kilovolt Pawnee-Daniels Park transmission line located near Brush, Colorado.
The Pawnee-Daniels Park transmission line runs 125 miles between the Pawnee Substation near Brush in Morgan County to the Daniels Park Substation in Douglas County. Construction started in 2017 and the last 20-mile segment linking a substation in Aurora to Daniels Park was completed in December.
“The Pawnee-Daniels Park line is a critical pathway for moving power and meeting demands for the growing region supporting job creation and economic growth,” Michael Lamb, Xcel’s senior vice president transmission, said in a news release. “This investment in the electric grid will carry more renewable energy from the Eastern Plains and improve overall system reliability.”
The 345-kilovolt transmission line will link the Rush Creek Wind Project, completed in 2018, and the Cheyenne Ridge Wind Project, currently under construction, to the grid. Xcel said it was an important part of its plans to source 80% of its energy in Colorado from carbon-free sources by 2030.
Xcel said it still needs to complete some upgrades to the Aurora substation and finish final restoration work along the line’s right-of-way, which should wrap up by this summer.