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PUC hearing spotlights clash over Xcel’s Segment 5 route, county denial and $2.5 million impact fee dispute
Summary
At a Feb. 19 evidentiary hearing, Xcel Energy defended the need for Segment 5 of the Colorado Power Pathway while Albert County and its experts said the company’s application lacked site‑specific wildfire planning and local signoffs; local officials also pressed that the route through the Kiowa/Highway 86 corridor would cause unacceptable local impacts even if fees were paid.
Public Utilities Commission Chair Eric Blank convened an evidentiary hearing Feb. 19 in docket 25ADashO354E to examine Public Service Company of Colorado’s (Xcel) request to construct Segment 5 of the Colorado Power Pathway through Albert County.
Xcel witnesses argued the line is necessary for statewide transmission capacity and to support the company’s resource plans. "The Pathway Project is an essential part of the infrastructure that will deliver the resources that the company has selected," said Jared Lunar, a regulatory policy specialist for Public Service Company of Colorado. Lunar told commissioners the company has identified the project as needed and that delay would increase curtailment risk for selected resources.
Albert County attorneys and witnesses disputed the sufficiency of the company’s local filings. Gary Kaufman, counsel for Albert County, and county consultant SWCA identified missing technical information in Xcel’s pre‑application and later submissions —…
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