Electrical Transmission in Central Colorado

Electrical Energy Transmission in Central Colorado.

At the time of the last convention of the Colorado Electric Light, Power and Railway Association, held at Denver in September. President George B. Tripp referred to the extensive electric transmission work under way in that state. As a matter of general interest, therefore, information has been compiled for a map of the central part of Colorado which shows some of the principal transmission lines built and projected. This map is shown in Fig. 1.

The oldest hydro-electric transmission system in the state is that of the Telluride Power Company, marked No. 2 on the map. Feeding into the same mining district, and interconnected with it, is a more recent project, the Animas Power & Water Company, which has a water-power plant on the Animas River, near Rockwood.

Map of Transmission Lines.

The next important transmission line to be built in Colorado after the Telluride Company began operations was that from Canyon City to Cripple Creek (No. 8), which is about 26 miles long. The power plant is operated by steam and is located near coal mines at Canyon City. It supplies most of the electric energy in the Cripple Creek mining district, where the price of coal is very high.

Another line originally built to supply energy to the Cripple Creek district is that now owned by the Pueblo & Suburban Traction & Lighting Company (No. 7). This has a waterpower station in the mountains a short distance from Victor in the Cripple Creek region. There is also a transmission line in the opposite direction to Pueblo. The line to Pueblo, however, is unused much of the time because the energy can be sold to better advantage in the Cripple Creek district where coal is expensive. Coal is cheap at Pueblo, and should occasion require, sufficient apparatus could be put in at Pueblo to feed energy back to Victor.

In the Colorado Springs district is a system (No. 6) which is supplied with energy principally by the Pike's Peak Hydro-Electric Company, which has a water power with 2200 ft. head at Manitou. This feeds at Colorado City into a triangular network owned by the Colorado Springs Electric Company, which distributes the electricity. The Colorado Springs. Electric Company also has a steam plant at the coal mines at Roswell and a sub-station at Colorado Springs. At the latter place it also maintains a steam plant for supplying a limited amount of exhaust steam for heating purposes. A third interesting example of a steam power station located at coal mines and transmitting long distances is the recently finished plant of the Northern Colorado Power Company at Lafayette. This plant supplies energy to II towns. These towns are all located in highly-cultivated river valleys a short distance from the foothills. While coal is not high in price in these towns, the size of the plants in towns of from 2000 to 10,000 inhabitants is not such as to be conducive to economy, hence the reason for the transmission system. This plant is also to supply electric energy to the Colorado & Southern Railroad between Denver and Boulder.

The most ambitious project for energy transmission in Colorado is that of the Central Colorado Power Company. The lines proposed and under construction are those numbered 3 on the map. Construction has been begun on a station near Glenwood, a plant near Boulder and a power house in Gore Canon. This company's plans cover future developments amounting to 75,000 kilowatts. Only a small part of this, however, is to be developed soon. The transmission lines are to be on steel towers with spans of varying length; the spans, between peaks where plenty of sag can be allowed, being as long as 3000 ft. The towers will carry two circuits of copper conductors on suspension link insulators and two steel ground wires. The voltage is to be 50,000, 87,000 or 100,000, according to the way the transformers are connected. From Gore Canon to Denver a duplicate line is planned. At the Boulder station water storage is provided, which can be used during high peak loads—an important point in a plant located near such a market as Denver. The Central Colorado Power Company has been engineered by Curtis & Hine, of Colorado Springs, who are also engineers of the Animas Power & Light Company.

The United Hydro-Electric Company, with a plant at Georgetown, supplies energy to several lines of towns in the Cripple Creek district.

The Summit County Power Company, in which Mr. Henry L. Doherty is interested, is projecting a system having a water power plant at Kokomo, to supply energy to mines in the Dillon and Breckenridge district. It will thus be seen that Colorado is very active in energy transmission work, both from water-power plants and from steam plants located at or near coal mines.