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Council approves $1.128M emergency budget revision for White Rock substation transformer
Summary
The council approved a $1,128,000 budget revision from the Electric Production Reserve to fund replacement of a failed Unit 1 transformer and related resilience work at the White Rock substation; staff said a rebuilt transformer is scheduled to arrive Dec. 4 and additional foundation work was required.
Los Alamos County staff described emergency work at the White Rock electrical substation and asked the council on Oct. 28 to approve a $1,128,000 budget revision funded from the Electric Production Reserve. The council approved the request by roll call 7–0.
The utility manager explained three concurrent efforts: construction of a temporary tie line with LANL to provide redundancy, procurement and installation of a rebuilt replacement transformer for the failed Unit 1, and negotiation of a mutual‑aid arrangement for mobile transformers with PNM for future emergencies. Staff said most equipment is on hand and that the rebuilt transformer was scheduled for delivery on Dec. 4.
Geotechnical work identified localized shallow sediments at the installation site requiring a deeper caisson foundation (25–30 feet) and a large crane to set the transformer, which added contingency cost. The rebuilt transformer will increase capacity consistent with the county’s distribution and electrification planning, staff said.
The council moved and passed the budget revision (2026‑17) to fund the emergency replacement and associated contingencies; staff said transformer installation work could take one to two months after delivery and will be scheduled based on foundation completion and crane availability.
The county said the expense will be borne by the electric reserve and not the general fund; the vote was unanimous.
