Xcel Power Pathway Project under fire by Aspen & Glenwood | Business [Video]

Xcel Energy’s $2 billion Power Pathway project to build 550 miles of high-voltage power lines in eastern Colorado has come under fire from three Colorado cities and a Nebraska energy agency.

The critics said Xcel is improperly imposing part of the cost of the new power line on customers who don’t need it and won’t benefit from the project. They accused Xcel of avoiding federal regional electric transmission planning and coordination regulations that would have required the energy company to equitably allocate the costs to all who would benefit from the project, including non-customers.

Xcel Energy said its Power Pathway project will “enhance the overall reliability of the grid and enable delivery of clean energy to all our customers, both retail and wholesale.”

The complaint was filed on Feb. 16 with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which regulates interstate electric power generation and distribution.

The Municipal Energy Agency of …