El Paso Electric wants to build a large, high-voltage, multimillion-dollar electric transmission line in far East El Paso.
The 345-kilovolt power line, the largest voltage line used in the EPE system, would cover from 10 to 19 miles, depending on which line route is approved by Texas regulators, said David Meza, EPE’s manager of grid strategy.
The transmission line would connect the Caliente electric substation at 12690 Sueno Alegre Drive, near Rich Beem Boulevard, and just outside El Paso city limits, to the planned Pine substation at La Pine Avenue and Appleton Street, south of Montana Avenue, in the far East Montana area outside city limits.
The company is holding a required public meeting Wednesday evening, Feb. 25, to provide information and get comments on the proposed transmission line that needs to be approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas, or PUCT.
EPE has only five 345kV lines in its system, and it’s been well over a decade since one has been added to the EPE grid, Meza said.
The Caliente substation, built on the edge of neighborhoods in the Rich Beem area, already has an existing 345kV line connecting to the Picante substation about 23 miles away in far Northeast El Paso, and a 115kV line running near homes.
The new transmission line is needed to keep up with population growth and increase system reliability, Meza said. EPE also is adding several electric substations to keep up with growth.
The company does not yet have a cost estimate for the project, Meza said. But in 2024, Xcel Energy, a large, multi-state electric utility operator, estimated construction costs for a 345kV line at $2 million to $3 million per mile. That’s probably what EPE will have to spend on the project, Meza said.
That would put the EPE construction cost at about $20 million to $57 million.
It will eventually be paid through customer rates, which the utility recently received approval to increase.
The shortest route would be about 10 miles and the longest route would be about 19 miles, Meza said. The route would not be a straight line. An EPE map on the project website shows several possible routes for the new line.
Transmission lines would be erected on 125-foot-tall steel poles, about as tall as a 10-story building.
EPE officials expect to file the project application with the PUCT in early 2027, according to the project timeline. Construction is projected to begin in early 2028.
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EPE is doing an environmental assessment for the project as required by state regulations. But the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ, the Texas environmental agency, is not involved in evaluating or approving the project, Meza said.
No health risk assessments are done.
Some studies years ago found an elevated risk of childhood leukemia linked to the proximity of residential power lines. A 1999 report by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences concluded that exposure to electromagnetic fields from power lines “cannot be recognized as entirely safe because of weak scientific evidence that exposure may pose a leukemia hazard. But, it further stated, “this finding is insufficient to warrant aggressive regulatory concern.”
The Health Physics Society, in an undated statement, reported, “most scientists believe that exposure to the low-level EMFs (electromagnetic fields) near power lines is safe,” but some scientists continue to do research.
Vic Kolenc may be reached at 915-546-6421; vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; @vickolenc on X, and @vkolenc.bsky.social on Bluesky.
Caliente-Pine Transmission Line Meeting
What: El Paso Electric public meeting to provide information and get comments on the proposed Caliente-Pine 345-kilovolt transmission line.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 25, 5-7 p.m.
Where: Sky Room Special Event Center, 14801 Montana Ave.
More information: Online through March 13 at pine-caliente.com
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso Electric plans new power line for East Side, costing up to $57M
Reporting by Vic Kolenc, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
