Project
Description

Poder Substation

Poder Substation is a new electric substation to be located at East 51st Avenue and Columbine Street. The substation will be connected to the existing transmission line along York Street, one block to the west.

Poder Substation includes several components:

• A new substation located on approximately 7 acres
• Approximately 675 feet of two overhead single-circuit 115-kilovolt electric transmission line interconnection
• Approximately 250 feet of distribution interconnection

Xcel Energy is making upgrades to the electric system in this area to reliably serve the additional customer need anticipated for the future. Poder Substation will improve overall system reliability and resilience in the Elyria-Swansea, Globeville, Five Points and other nearby neighborhoods, and provide backup for existing substations that are reaching capacity.

Construction is expected to begin in late 2024 and be completed in 2026, pending permit approvals.

Meeting the Need

Denver continues to experience residential, commercial, and industrial growth which has increased the demand for additional electricity. Xcel Energy is making upgrades to the electric system in this area to reliably serve the additional customer need anticipated for the future.

Poder Substation will:

• Provide additional system capacity
• Maintain adequate voltage to serve electrical demand
• Backup the existing Mapleton, Argo, and North Substations, which are reaching capacity
• Reliably serve customers’ electrical needs as commercial, residential and industrial demand increases

Distribution substations, like Poder Substation, reduce the voltage of electricity delivered from load serving transmission lines to a lower voltage that is delivered on distribution lines to power homes and businesses.

Each substation in Denver can provide electricity to a certain number of customers over specific distances. As neighborhoods continue to grow, and demand for electricity increases, substations reach their capacity and become less able to supply enough low-voltage electricity to meet customer demand. We build additional substations, including the new Poder Substation, to ensure there is enough low-voltage electricity to serve local homes and businesses.

Building a new substation also enhances overall system reliability and resilience, because the additional capacity provided by a substation can serve as a backup for other substations in the area, should there be an outage.

Siting Process

A Siting Study was completed for Poder Substation that evaluated and compared several sites using siting criteria to identify a preferred location. The Siting Area was identified between existing substations where the necessary transmission and distribution interconnections could be made to provide power to the community. The site was selected because it is the appropriate size, proximate to the necessary transmission and distribution interconnection, within a compatible land use area and zone district, and available for purchase.

The East 51st Avenue and Columbine Street site was selected because it:

• Is appropriately sized for a substation
• Takes into consideration residences, cultural and historic resources, schools, parks, railroads, wetlands, and existing and planned development
• Is near transmission and distribution interconnections, minimizing construction impact
• Is in an industrial area, which will remain industrial per Elyria and Swansea Neighborhoods Plan
• Aligns with allowable use in zone district
• Is available for purchase

Schedule

Poder Substation is part of our long-range planning initiative to reinforce our system and provide capacity increases needed to deliver safe, reliable electricity to current and future customers. We expect construction will begin in late 2024 and that the substation will be in-service in 2026.