A resilient and reliable electric grid provides an essential foundation for us to successfully transition to a new energy future that includes reduced carbon emissions, new technologies and a more diverse generation mix. That is precisely why our Sustainable Energy Plan (SEP) includes several transmission line and substation projects, many of which are underway or nearing completion.
After just one year of construction, one key SEP project to expand the Briargate Substation and upgrade the connected transmission line is almost complete. Located near Powers Boulevard and Woodmen Road, the aging substation and transmission line required upgrades to meet future energy demands, provide space for new technologies and enable increased grid resiliency and redundancy with the closure of the Martin Drake Power Plant.
The $16.5 million Briargate project included doubling the size of the substation and increasing the capacity of the connected transmission line.
“To get a critical project like Briargate completed as fast as we did was a tremendous accomplishment for our SEP project team and organization,” said Jennifer Travis, project manager. “The project team had to navigate two busy commercial corridors while erecting a new transmission line and doubling the size of a key substation – with no major service disruptions and no injuries.”
Substations represent the central nervous system for our electric grid. Power cannot be reliably and safely delivered to homes and businesses without substations. As we pursue a more carbon-free energy future within the next decade, the size, adaptability and location of substations continue to grow in importance.
In the coming months and years, several other SEP-related substation and transmission projects are in the works. Projects include a new substation by the Colorado Springs Airport and in central Colorado Springs; expanded substations; and a new transmission line from southeast Colorado Springs to the South Plant substation located at the Drake Power Plant site.
