New Mexico’s goal of becoming the hub for space tourism and a leading center for commercial space travel is getting a little closer, with the help of an electric cooperative.
Sierra Electric Cooperative recently energized a dedicated line to serve Spaceport America, a state-owned commercial spaceport near the U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range.
“We energized the line Oct. 20, and the facility has been drawing power from us since then,” said Jimmy Capps, CEO and general manager of the Elephant Butte-based co-op. “We started working on this project five years ago with preliminary engineering studies, and completed construction of the dedicated line several weeks ago.”
The state paid for a new substation and a distribution line consisting of five miles of overhead conductor and a mile of underground line to serve the 18,000-acre site.
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