Kit Carson plans open houses to discuss new transmission line
Kit Carson Electric Cooperative will be hosting two open houses in November to help inform the public about the construction of the “Green Chile 115-kilovolt Transmission Line,” which would run from Taos County to the Ojo Substation in Rio Arriba County on the west side of the Rio Grande Gorge.
Chief Executive Officer Luis Reyes said one of the goals of the line is to control costs. “Over time, our existing transmission contracts continue to increase,” he said. “We’re doing a lot of work with our power supplier and with solar to try to keep the rates stable and drive them down. But the transmission component continues to increase, so we’re concerned about that in the future, figuring out how to utilize all elements of our rates going forward.”
The transmission line would be constructed by national developer GridLiance and will allow KCEC to transport power to other utilities that may be in need.
“As we continue to add more solar, potentially more storage, there’s going to be times of year that we can export to other municipalities or other organizations or utilities that are in a deficit. We can export some of our energy when we don’t need it,” Reyes said.
He also noted that the line helps to accomplish their goal of being a carbon-free cooperative. “Through solar and batteries — and potentially the green hydrogen project we’re working on in Questa — that gives us 100 percent coverage with renewable power. So transmission is going to be key in that strategy.”
Two open houses will be held to help provide more information about the possible transmission line: One on Nov. 8 at KCEC’s Office (118 Cruz Alta Road) from 10-11 a.m. and from 5-6 p.m.; the second will be held on Nov. 9 at the Ohkay Hotel Casino (68 NM 291), also from 10-11 a.m. and from 5-6 p.m.
Residents can register to attend by calling 561-304-5879, emailing GreenChile@nexteraenergy.com or visiting surveymonkey.com/r/ GreenChileTransmission.
“We’re really wanting to make sure our members know what we’re doing. The open houses are really so they have a chance to discuss with Kit Carson and discuss with our developer any issues they have,” Reyes said.