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Xcel: undergrounding targeted where repeated PSPS events or critical infrastructure exist; costs socialized statewide
Summary
Xcel told county officials that undergrounding transmission is costly and difficult in Chaffee’s rocky terrain; the PUC authorized up to 50 miles of targeted undergrounding statewide, and Xcel said selection prioritizes locations with repeated PSPS history or critical infrastructure.
Multiple speakers pressed Xcel on undergrounding and whether Chaffee County would be prioritized for the program. Steve Rolstad said undergrounding is ‘‘extremely costly’’ and has constructability limits in rocky areas with other underground utilities; he said Xcel is focusing targeted undergrounding where repeated public safety power shutoff events or critical infrastructure exist.
"The commission approved up to 50 miles of targeted undergrounding projects," Rolstad said. He added that the company planned a handful of targeted distribution undergrounding projects this year, mainly on the front range where repeated PSPS events and critical infrastructure have been concentrated, and one project near Grand Junction.
Xcel also said the program costs are socialized across the company’s roughly 1.6 million customers statewide, which affects selection and prioritization for rural, low-density areas. County officials urged Xcel to consider rural inequities when allocating targeted undergrounding opportunities.
