SILVERTHORNE – Xcel Energy announced it has identified a site for a new electric distribution facility just outside Silverthorne town limits.

The substation, in the works for years, is to be completed in the fall of 2014 and is aimed at meeting the current and growing demand for electricity in Summit County.

The new facility, being dubbed the Ptarmigan substation, will be located on private property near the site of the proposed Town of Silverthorne water storage facility at Angler Mountain Ranch. This site, “P-10,” had been previously identified – and at one time rejected – as a possible location for the substation.

The company has entered into a conditional agreement for the site. Included in the substation project would be an access road, distribution facilities to the area, and approximately 2,000-foot, double-circuit 230-kilovolt transmission line tap that will connect with the existing Xcel Energy transmission line, on the east side of the valley.

“Once completed, our new Ptarmigan Substation will provide much-needed capacity and allow for more traditional operation of our system in the area, thus greatly improving reliability and minimizing power outages,” said Jerome Davis, Xcel Energy regional vice president, in a press release.

“The power supply for the Silverthorne area currently is at peak load, and we believe that without this new substation, we would have faced a situation of little to no excess capacity and extended power outages. The agreement today is a win-win for the valley, our customers and the company,” Davis added.

Xcel Energy, through its state operations Public Service Co. of Colorado, has been attempting to site a new substation in the area since 1997. More recent attempts, following the installation of an express distribution line from Frisco, began in 2006.

In that time, the company has evaluated 32 sites for the facility, held open houses, and met with stakeholders and jurisdictions to discuss the siting study and process, and provided updates on the project. The company will continue to seek public input on the latest identified site as it prepares for the approval process. Construction is expected to take place in 2013 and 2014.

Previously proposed sites for the Ptarmigan Substation drew opposition from some Silverthorne-area residents, calling themselves the Lower Blue Citizens Alliance, who became concerned with impacts to views, property values and the environment.

Additional information about the project is posted at http://bit.ly/LpK4BR

Dates for upcoming public meetings plus photo simulations of the substation will be posted later this summer.