Improve Reliability
Recent wildfires and winter storm-related outages have highlighted the vulnerability of the electric transmission system in the Desert Southwest. There are limited transmission connections between the southern New Mexico/El Paso area and the rest of the western United States transmission grid, creating reliability risks in the event of wildfires, storms, or other events.
Additionally, much of the regional electric system infrastructure is reaching the end of its useful life. The lines in Arizona that the Southline Transmission Project would improve are decades-old wood pole H-frame systems whose deterioration poses reliability and maintenance concerns. If there are any disruptions in the existing regional transmission system, local utilities may not be able to meet energy demands. The Southline Transmission Project would strengthen the existing electrical system by replacing outdated structures and systems with more reliable equipment that will also significantly increase transmission transfer capacity in the region.
