We sincerely thank you and appreciate your patience during construction. If you have questions or comments on the project please send us a message at PawneeDanielsPark@xcelenergy.com or call 303-318-6307.
The Pawnee-Daniels Park project includes the construction of 125 miles of 345 kilovolt (kV) double circuit transmission line between the Pawnee Substation, near Brush, CO, and the Daniels Park Substation, south of the Denver-metro area, as well as one new 345 kV substation and expansion of five other 230 kV and 345 kV substations. Construction is underway on portions of the project. The in-service date is December 2019.
The project is required to facilitate future generation development (including Xcel Energy's Rush Creek Wind Generation Project). It will help support Resource Planning predictions for other generation development in the region, meets SB-100 requirements for Energy Resource Zones (ERZ) 1 and 2, and improve system reliability.
Crews set the structures in segments using a crane.
Most structures on the project are steel single poles, however, some areas where there are corners or turns require two-pole structures, referred to as dead-end structures on the map.
As part of the approval process for the Pawnee to Daniels Park transmission line Xcel Energy was required to mark a portion of the transmission line with flashing safety lights in accordance with required FAA standards for marking and lighting obstructions that have been deemed to be a hazard to air navigation (FAA Title 14 part 77).
In Aurora, Xcel Energy marked eight structures of the line with flashing safety lights in accordance with required FAA standards. The lines run from the Sam's Club at Southlands to East Plymouth Drive in Tallyn's Reach from Smoky Hill Road along South Aurora Pkwy. The FAA and Buckley Air Force Base worked with Xcel Energy to limit the scope of required lighting and determined these lines were to be equipped with medium intensity red lights.
In Douglas County, Xcel Energy worked with the FAA and Centennial Airport to mark seven structures with flashing safety lights in accordance with the required FAA standards. The lights are needed for safety purposes.
If you have a question or comment surrounding the Pawnee-Daniels Park project please send us a message at PawneeDanielsPark@xcelenergy.com or call 303-318-6307.
As part of the approval process, we held public open house meetings in 2014 and 2015 in Arapahoe and Douglas Counties as an opportunity for the public to provide feedback on proposed routes and learn information about the project. In addition, public hearings were held in project cities and counties for final permit approval
Your input is important. Public comments and preferences were taken into account in choosing the final route of the project, along with other criteria including engineering needs, maintenance requirements, environmental resources, and legal and economic considerations. We sincerely appreciate your support and patience during construction on this project.
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity application for the project on April 9, 2015.
However, in late 2015, Congress extended the Production Tax Credit for new wind generation projects, but with a declining recovery schedule for projects that start construction after 2016. In September 2016 we, along with multiple parties, agreed to a settlement that included moving the in-service date to 2019. The settlement agreement received final approval October 2016. View the settlement agreements. Advancing the in-service date of the Pawnee-Daniels Park project will help ensure that customers reap the tax credit benefits which significantly reduce the cost of wind generation.
Final local permits were approved for the projects in December, 2017. Permits were obtained with the City of Aurora, Arapahoe County, Douglas County and Town of Parker.
