EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — Some residents in Homestead Meadows in far East El Paso say they are already feeling the effects of a proposed high-voltage transmission line, after receiving notices from El Paso Electric about potential routes that could run near their homes.
One resident who lives in the area said he learned about the project through a letter inviting residents to a public meeting.
“We received a letter from them on a public meeting to try to get a 345 kV line. So when we went to the meeting, they proposed it. It’s, merely behind my shoulder…about 350 feet from my house,” he said.
El Paso Electric is proposing a new high-voltage transmission line across El Paso County connecting the Pine Substation in far East El Paso, south of Montana, to the McCloud Substation near the Meta data center off U.S. 54 just south of the state line.
The utility said the substation would help deliver power as part of its broader transmission system serving customers across the region, including growth such as the Meta data center. But some residents said they are unsure what the project could mean for their families.
“I have my kids that I’m concerned for. I don’t know what impact that high voltage is going to have on them,” another resident said.
As part of the early planning process, El Paso Electric said it is studying multiple possible routes for the line. The company said it is sending notices and questionnaires to people whose property could be crossed or who live within about 500 feet of a possible route, asking for their input.
You can take a look at the utility’s virtual open house here.
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For some residents, the concern is also about what the project could change about the area they chose to live in.
“We picked this particular lot because of the mountain behind us. You can see everything from here,” one man said. “Rather than living in a neighborhood where all you see is your neighbors, we wanted out here, we see the wildlife, cayotes, the rabbits.”
On Wednesday, El Paso City Council heard a presentation from El Paso Electric about the McCloud Substation, described as a proposed natural gas facility that would be located near the Meta data center. El Paso Electric said the facility is intended to meet new power demand from Meta and that the cost of the project would be paid by Meta, not existing ratepayers.
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El Paso Electric also emphasized that the proposed transmission line is not limited to serving that generating facility.
“That line is not necessarily associated specifically with the new generating facility. I talked about being able to interconnect our system with the data center site, especially at a gigawatt and requiring a gigawatt. That requires an expansion of our transmission system,” an El Paso Electric representative said.
El Paso Electric said no final route has been selected and that community feedback will help determine where the transmission line is built. One resident said he believes there are better options than placing the line near homes.
“They had other proposals that do not run right next to houses,” he said. “I think they could do better at rerouting it to where it’s not where people live.”
El Paso Electric said it expects to file the project with the Public Utility Commission of Texas in September. The commission will then decide whether to approve it. Until then, residents said they want a say in where the line could go.
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