Read Frequently Asked Questions about the Pawnee Express Project.
The buildout of Colorado’s electric transmission system is critical to meet Colorado’s in state energy demand. PEX will fill an existing gap in energy transmission for northeastern Colorado and provide more reliable and resilient electricity for Colorado’s residents, businesses, and communities, including during extreme weather like tornadoes, snowstorms and wildfires, to help Coloradans keep the lights on.
The full project design parameters are still being developed. At this stage, we are working closely with public and private landowners to identify the final route, a majority of which will be along the I-76 corridor. We expect an easement width of approximately 150 feet, and we expect to use steel monopole structures between 100 and 150 feet tall. The distance between transmission structures will be roughly between 700 and 1,000 feet, with approximately 500 structures anticipated. We will use the most compact and cost-effective design parameters to minimize environmental impacts, visual impacts, and land use impacts to the community.
NRS will finance, construct, own, operate, and maintain PEX.
This project represents a $350 million investment in northeast Colorado to build critical transmission infrastructure and unlock in-state energy resources to meet the growing demand for electricity. Once operational, it will enhance the reliability and resiliency of the regional electric system, which will help surrounding communities withstand the impacts of extreme weather events.
Direct economic benefits that will be realized from PEX include the creation of construction jobs, annual property tax revenue payments, and land acquisition agreements. Through its work with the Colorado Department of Transportation, PEX will also provide a public/private fiber optic upgrade for the area that is expected to enable smarter, safer roadways and provide more broadband connectivity in the area.
Our top priority is to minimize impacts from construction by collaborating closely with the impacted communities and their local officials. Through the life of the project, we will proactively communicate with each community to provide updates on construction activities that may affect them, such as transportation routes for project components.
During construction, water use will be limited to dust suppression when necessary. Water is not used during the operation of transmission lines.
Any water needed during construction will be sourced privately and will not be drawn from the local water supply.
We are committed to communicating with host communities and stakeholders throughout project development, construction, and operation. We will use various tools to keep communities informed about PEX, including mailings, community meetings, social media, and one-on-one conversations.
This website will be updated on development & construction plans, and we can be reached directly at info@PexTransmission.com.
PEX is collaborating with an Advisory Board of local stakeholders and community leaders who act as voice for the community and can provide feedback to PEX.
We are committed to environmental protection and stewardship. PEX recognizes that there are temporary and long-term impacts to the surrounding habitats, and we will mitigate impacts through corridor sharing along the I-76 corridor. We are also working hard to limit our impact on wildlife, sensitive habitats and other natural resources by conducting rigorous environmental analyses to decide where to appropriately locate each structure while also applying industry best practices. This work includes review of wildlife species or community types that are uncommon in the region or in the state. We require any vendors we work with to do the same.
Critical to successful mitigation of environmental impacts is our close work with federal, state and local agencies to implement environmental protections and mitigations before and during construction. This thoughtful collaboration ensures the project is designed, constructed, and operated in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and management policies.
Guy wires are tensioned cables designed to add stability to a freestanding structure. One end of a guy wire is attached to the structure, and the other end is anchored to the ground at some distance from the structure base. PEX plans to use steel poles, which are stronger than their wood counterparts and typically do not require guy wires.
PEX is being designed specifically to strengthen the electric transmission system in northeast Colorado and provide more reliable and resilient electricity for residents, businesses, and communities. The energy production potential of northeast Colorado far exceeds what can be consumed locally, and PEX will deliver low-cost generation to help meet the growing, in-state demand for electricity.
In addition, power will be able to move in either direction along the line, which means that power will be able to flow north on the line to deliver energy in times of need, like an extreme weather or local outage event.
Colorado is currently building out its electric power transmission system to deliver reliable and resilient energy to communities across the state. PEX is specifically designed to strengthen that transmission system in northeast Colorado and provide low-cost generation to help meet the growing, in-state demand for electricity. PEX is being developed to help connect renewable energy projects to the grid but is also capable of supporting other forms of power generation in the future.
Electric and magnetic fields (EMF) are both part of our natural (e.g., the Earth) and electrified (e.g., microwave) environment, and they are present wherever electricity flows. Alternating current transmission lines – like PEX – produce extremely low frequency EMF, which is the same type of EMF produced by household appliances such as televisions, hair dryers, and microwaves. The health effects of EMF have been studied closely for decades. Independent research by scientific organizations has concluded that exposure to extremely low frequency EMF at the level emitted by a 345 kV transmission line does not cause adverse health impacts.
Safety is our top priority in developing, constructing, and operating projects. Our team has extensive experience building large-scale infrastructure projects, and we carefully vet and train our contractors and crews, with public safety at the core of all processes.