Bernalillo County delays substation decision, requires burial study after heated public hearing
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Summary
After hours of testimony for and against PNM’s proposed North Albuquerque Acres substation, Bernalillo County commissioners added a condition that transmission lines must be buried if the project is approved, required routing and alternate‑site studies, and continued final action for staff and PNM to return with technical and cost analyses within roughly 120 days.
Vice Chair Frank Baca opened a special Jan. 27 Bernalillo County zoning meeting and presided over a contentious quasi‑judicial hearing on PNM’s request to amend the Paseo Del Norte / North Albuquerque Acres sector plan and obtain special use permits for a new electrical substation.
Planning staff had recommended approval after the County Planning Commission unanimously endorsed the project, saying the area north of San Antonio lacks adequate substation capacity. “The intent of the new substation is to address the area of need where there’s an increased risk of outages due to overloaded transformers,” Russell Brito, PNM’s land‑use and permitting administrator, told the commission.
But the proposal triggered sustained opposition from nearby residents and neighborhood groups, who argued that the applicant’s siting study was flawed, that transmission routings were not adequately considered, and that the project would threaten rural character, property values and public safety. Attorney Michael Caddigan, representing a coalition of homeowners, said the application failed to meet county code and warned of health and property‑value impacts, adding, “PNM is really Blackstone,” a claim PNM disputed as premature and non‑decisive for the permit process.
Many witnesses focused on the transmission corridor as much as the substation itself. Sandia Heights and North Albuquerque Acres residents described the Tramway trail and scenic views they say would be harmed, raised wildfire‑risk concerns, and urged the commission to require the shortest, least‑damaging transmission routing. Some neighborhood volunteers and independent engineers said they had access to PNM data and found technical reasons for the utility’s need, while other participants urged a more independent review.
Commissioners acknowledged the reliability case but said the record left open serious community concerns about corridor siting and long‑term impacts. Commissioner Eric Olivares, while recognizing the demonstrated need, proposed a condition that would require the transmission lines to be buried if the substation receives final approval. The board voted unanimously to add that requirement as a condition and to append two more conditions requiring (1) a supplemental transmission routing study and (2) an analysis of alternate substation locations.
PNM engineering staff warned that undergrounding high‑voltage transmission lines across the length under discussion would be complex and expensive. Jesus Flores, PNM’s director of transmission engineering, told the board a detailed undergrounding analysis would likely take four to six months and estimated a preliminary cost range of roughly $56 million to $110 million based on high‑level consultant guidance; PNM’s counsel said who ultimately bears those costs would depend on tariff and regulatory decisions.
After debate about the scope of additional analysis and who should perform it, the commission voted to continue the appeals and public hearing record and directed staff to work with PNM and an independent third party to produce the supplemental siting and routing studies and a detailed undergrounding cost/allocation report. Commissioners set a roughly 120‑day timeline for staff to report back with a plan and findings so the board can resume deliberations.
What happened next: the commission did not approve the zone/plan amendments or special use permits at this meeting. Instead, it adopted new conditions policymakers must be satisfied with — including the undergrounding requirement if the project is ultimately approved — and continued the matter so staff, PNM and an independent reviewer can provide the additional technical and fiscal analysis.
The record: planning staff reported receiving more than 600 public comments since the CPC hearing and counted 43 in‑person public speakers and five online speakers at the Jan. 27 hearing. The case numbers under consideration include multiple paired appeals and CSU/SPR items tied to the Paseo Del Norte / North Albuquerque Acres sector plan.
