Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Dpu Operations Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DPU quarterly report details infrastructure updates; Foxtail Flats review delayed, Los Alamos switch station work paused by asbestos duct bank
Summary
The Department of Public Utilities presented its Q2 FY25 report, highlighting awards and events, project updates including a possible six‑month delay on Foxtail Flats BIA review, landfill solar not yet operational, and an expected June schedule for the Los Alamos switch station contingent on LANL approval to cut and remove asbestos‑encased duct.
Department of Public Utilities staff presented the second quarter FY25 report (Oct.–Dec. 2024) to the Board of Public Utilities on March 19, summarizing awards, operations and capital project updates.
Among operations highlights, staff noted national awards and an accreditation, reservoir and wharf reopenings and strong system reliability metrics (SADI under 60 minutes since Oct. 2023 for locally controlled outages). The department singled out employee safety and community service; an employee, Gary Trujillo, was recognized after assisting a motorist who had a medical emergency.
Philo Shelton and staff provided project updates:
- Foxtail Flats: Ben (department staff) reported the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) review that had been expected in the third quarter of FY25 has not yet been received; staff said the BIA review schedule appears delayed and the project may see a roughly six‑month slip. Ben said he had asked the BIA for an update and would report back when more information is available.
- Los Alamos switch station: Electric distribution staff said work to intercept the East Hammers Road conduit duct bank is ready but that investigations found the duct bank to be a concrete‑encased asbestos pipe. Staff are negotiating disposal arrangements with a contractor and coordinating with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to finalize LANL requirements to permit cutting and disposal. The department said the vault and XIDs are ready and that, if approvals proceed, cable pulling and station tie‑in could proceed with a target to be active before June, but the schedule depends on LANL approval.
- Landfill solar: Staff confirmed the landfill solar array is not yet producing and the project is excluded from the department’s presented solar generation figures.
- Distributed generation: Staff reported 31 customers in process for distributed generation permitting, representing about 369 kW in proposed capacity; most applicants are at evaluation and permitting stages and may require service variances.
- Trinity Drive utility upgrades: Construction bidding for the combined utility/road project is planned in August 2025 with most construction expected in spring/summer 2026 to avoid winter weather impacts.
- Internet/fiber outage: The report and follow‑up described recent Internet outages linked to fiber work on State Route 4. Staff said they had engaged Lumen and the contractor and pushed for an on‑site locator presence; a Lumen locator was reported on-site and the utility asked for continued full‑time on‑site locating to reduce future mislocates.
Staff closed by noting ongoing outreach, awards and event participation. Board members asked clarifying questions about timelines and asked staff to provide occasional SADI figures that include upstream outages for comparison to other utilities.
