AMARILLO, Texas (Oct. 6, 2021) – Xcel Energy has started work on an $8.4 million electric substation
on Northeast 24th Avenue near Whitaker Road that will open more opportunities for business growth and job creation in northeast Amarillo.
“A plentiful and reliable source of electricity is the foundation of job creation in Amarillo and the
Panhandle region,” said David Hudson, president, Xcel Energy – Texas. “We’ve been a partner in
Amarillo’s growth since 1925 and we’re excited to play a key role in the current expansion of business
and industry by investing in the facilities that power that growth.”
Electricity demand has been growing steadily in northeast Amarillo, especially since the Amarillo
Economic Development Corp. began to develop the CenterPort Business Park in 1998. Existing
substation facilities in the area are close to reaching their capacity, and the new substation will enable
Xcel Energy to shift electric loads to free up more capacity while priming this industrial sector of the city for additional growth opportunities.
“Xcel Energy’s new substation is a vital part of Amarillo Economic Development Corporation’s recruiting efforts,” said Kevin Carter, president and CEO of the Amarillo EDC. “Xcel Energy is an important partner in creating jobs and opportunities in the Amarillo community and has always been a source of reliable energy in our business parks. This will increase that reliability and capacity.”
The new substation will serve 28 megawatts of customer demand at full capacity, or 28 million watts –
enough to light 280,000 100-watt lightbulbs. It is designed for expansion as electricity demand grows.
Additionally, the new substation and planned feeder lines will support voltage in the area and enhance
switching options on the distribution system, speeding restoration in the event of outages.
Center Port is one of several major substation improvements undertaken in the Amarillo-Canyon metro
area since 2020. Two new substations went into service last year – Western Street in Amarillo and
Hunsley in north Canyon. In May, Xcel Energy broke ground on the $20.1 million expansion of Lawrence Park Substation in west-central Amarillo. By the end of 2022 the new Preston West Substation will be in service near Loop 335 and Coulter Street in southwest Amarillo. Projects for 2023 include a $6.3 million expansion of Farmers Substation in southeast Amarillo and the new Echo Substation in north Amarillo.
“Our communities are doing the heavy lifting when it comes to creating jobs and improving our quality of life,” Hudson said. “It’s our responsibility to ensure the grid is capable of delivering the clean, reliable and affordable energy our customers need to make it happen, now and in the future.”
About the local distribution grid
The power grid in Amarillo and Canyon is comprised of many substations, transformers, and hundreds of miles of transmission and distribution lines. Transmission lines transport electricity from power plants into the city. Substations transform electricity to lower voltages and send it along distribution lines that are located up and down city streets and alleys.
The flow of electric current is measured in amps, which can be likened to the speed of water moving
through pipes. Voltage is much like pressure in water pipes, and is what allows amps to flow over power lines. As new homes and businesses take up more of the system’s capacity, the addition of new
substations and feeder lines means more electricity can flow to new customers without overloading the
system. And in the event of outages, Xcel Energy has more options to reroute the power supply in order to restore customers in less time.
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About Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.