AMARILLO, Texas (May 12, 2022) – Xcel Energy has completed work on the new Center Port

Substation at Northeast 24th Avenue near Whitaker Road, adding capacity for business growth and job

creation in northeast Amarillo.

“The Amarillo Economic Development Corp. has brought in a lot of new jobs in this area and it’s critical

we support this growth with timely investments in power capacity and reliability,” said David Hudson,

president, Xcel Energy – Texas. “Center Port is designed to take on additional load as businesses

relocate and expand nearby, which is something we fully expect to happen.”

Prior to the completion of Center Port, electrical facilities in the area were nearing their capacity. 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.

Higher electricity demand continues to drive investment in other sectors of the city as well. Work has

started on a $20.1 million upgrade and expansion of Amarillo’s Lawrence Park Substation near

Southwest 26th Avenue and Georgia Street to boost the reliability and capacity of this key power hub for west-central neighborhoods and commercial districts. The project should be completed by December 2022.

In far southwest Amarillo, Xcel Energy is building the new Preston West Substation southeast of the

intersection of Coulter Street and Loop 335 (Hollywood Road). In addition to serving new growth in that area, Preston West will relieve loading on the nearby Estacado and Spring Draw substations.

The Center Port, Lawrence Park and Preston West projects are the latest of several completed, planned

or ongoing enhancements to boost power capabilities in the Amarillo metro area. Others include:

  • The $8.3 million Hunsley Substation in Canyon, completed in 2020, boosting the grid in Canyon and in new residential and commercial developments north toward Loop 335 in south Amarillo
  • The $9 million Western Street Substation on South Western Street south of Southwest 45th Avenue in Amarillo, completed in 2020
  • The new Echo Substation, planned off Echo Street northeast of the Northeast 24th Avenue and Mirror Street intersection to boost reliability in North Amarillo
  • The new Arnot Substation, planned east of Arnot Road between Interstate 40 and Hollywood Road, boosting reliability and capacity in the Bushland and west Amarillo area
  • An expansion of Farmers Substation on South Georgia Street at Farmers Avenue
  • Continued upgrades of distribution lines in the San Jacinto area and other neighborhoods west and north of downtown Amarillo
  • Ongoing efforts to replace worn or older wooden distribution poles across the city
  • Ongoing conversion of the city’s streetlights to LED lamps

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 across 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.