Title
Approval of Budget Revision No. 2026-17 for the White Rock Substation Project in the Amount of $1,128,000
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve Budget Revision 2026-17 in the amount of $1,128,000 to be funded from the Electric Production Reserve Fund for the emergency replacement of the White Rock Substation and Attachment A be included in the minutes of this meeting.
Utilities Manager's Recommendation
The Utilities Manager recommends that Council approve the motion as presented.
Board, Commission or Committee Recommendation
The Board of Public Utilities reviewed this request at their regular meeting on October 22, 2025 and recommends that Council approve the motion as presented.
Body
White Rock has one electric substation equipped with two transformers. Under normal operations, the community’s entire electric load is supplied through Transformer #2. To perform scheduled maintenance on Transformer #2, the load was temporarily transferred to Transformer #1. However, on August 8, 2025, Transformer #1 experienced a failure, resulting in a power outage for the entire White Rock Community until the load could be shifted back to Transformer #2. This action is necessary to restore redundancy and ensure continued reliability for White Rock. This portion of the project is estimated to cost approximately $778,000.
To bridge the gap between the procurement and installation of the replacement transformer, the DPU Engineering team is collaborating with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to design and install a tie line between LANL’s 13.3kv system and the White Rock 12.47kv distribution line located west of Monte Rey South. A tie line is a transmission connection that links two electric systems for backup capacity. Voltage regulators and transformer will be installed to correct the level to supply power safely and reliably to White Rock. This portion of the project is estimated to cost is approximately $350,000.
Alternatives
No alternative as this is a required emergency action.
Fiscal and Staff Impact
Funds are available in the Electric Distribution cash reserves.
Attachments
A - Budget Revision 2026-17