Rush Creek Substation Construction

Mortenson constructed the Rush Creek wind project substations and collection system in Limon, CO, for Xcel Energy. Rush Creek is the largest single-phase wind project Mortenson has ever built as well as Colorado’s largest, boosting the state’s wind generation capacity by 20 percent and powering an estimated 660,000 homes.

The power delivery infrastructure was a critical component in enabling the success of the broader wind project and supported Xcel’s goal of adding renewable energy to their portfolio. Rush Creek will eliminate about a million tons of carbon dioxide annually that would have been produced otherwise, in addition to providing other local benefits like land lease payments and property tax revenue. The project is a key piece of Xcel’s ‘Colorado Energy Plan’, which is “is Xcel Energy’s roadmap to develop a significantly cleaner energy mix and reduce carbon emissions in Colorado— all while keeping customer bills low.” Effective power delivery infrastructure is a key component in taking full advantage of renewable energy projects.

The two massive 345kV / 34.5kV substations each contain two main power transformers. Rush Creek 1 substation is carrying 15 feeders (fed by 190 wind turbines), and Rush Creek 2 substation is carrying 8 feeders (fed 110 wind turbines), and 1.05 million feet of trench connect to the 300 Vestas turbines that cover nearly 100,000 acres across five counties in Eastern Colorado.

Mortenson self-performed the collection system and both substations, with the exception of the cable installation and substation foundations, which we completed with our trusted trade partners.