Summary
August's outage review showed mysterious short underground faults in White Rock, aging 1970s cable nearing failure, and concerns that SAIDI will hover around the 60-minute target until old cable is replaced.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 8
- Last 30 days
- 1
Discussed at 1 meeting in the last 60 days; most recently Sep 16, 2026.
Impact analysis
Brings $2.63 million in federal funds into the utility budget; county match of $842,770.
Residents gain reliability as cable replacement and secondary-run shortening proceed.
White Rock and other customers experienced outages; future failures of old cable will interrupt service.
Mentions & discussions (8)
Board of Public Utilities Work Session — November 4, 2026
The board continues weighing whether to bury overhead power lines, which costs a lot up front but can improve reliability during storms and fires. The discussion could shape future electric rates.
Board of Public Utilities — September 16, 2026
August's outage review showed mysterious short underground faults in White Rock, aging 1970s cable nearing failure, and concerns that SAIDI will hover around the 60-minute target until old cable is replaced.
Board of Public Utilities — August 19, 2026
An old concentric-neutral cable failed near Aragon and Grand Canyon, blacking out much of White Rock; crews replaced it in three hours. Separately, about 60 street lights are out while newly hired staff work through the backlog.
County Council - Regular Session — July 28, 2026
The consent agenda included a power purchase agreement of up to $9.2 million for August–September 2026 power pool load, an $849,570 piping project at the Los Alamos Switching Station, $1 million in power line tree trimming over seven years, and extension of the DOE Electric Coordination Agreement. These keep the county's electric system running and reduce wildfire risk near power lines.
Board of Public Utilities — June 17, 2026
Staff estimated it would cost roughly $80 million — possibly double with rock — to bury all overhead power lines in the county, with nearly 2,000 secondary service drops to homes adding $6,000–$10,000 each. Board members questioned whether benefits justify the cost, noting new development already installs underground lines.
Board of Public Utilities Work Session — June 3, 2026
The county finally won a FEMA hazard mitigation grant: $2.63 million federal share toward $3.48 million in undergrounding in the fire protection area, though about $2 million of earlier work won't be reimbursed.
County Council - Regular Session — May 5, 2026
The county awarded a $1.18 million contract to Bixby Electric to replace underground utility infrastructure in the Piedra Loop area — a 4.5-month project.
Board of Public Utilities — April 15, 2026
A $1.18 million contract with Bixby Electric was on the consent agenda to replace underground electrical infrastructure in the Piedra Loop area. The work would run about 4.5 months.
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