Bernalillo County’s Planning Commission will decide Wednesday whether to recommend a $35 million Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) substation in North Albuquerque Acres — the utility’s third attempt in five years.
The public hearing continues from September, when commissioners unanimously approved a 90-day delay after Sandia Heights residents said they felt “disenfranchised” by PNM over transmission route discussions. But PNM says the transmission route isn’t part of the current request and would require separate state Department of Transportation approval after a formal routing study.
The hearing is set for Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, at 9 a.m. in the Ken Sanchez Commission Chambers, 415 Silver Ave. SW.
The project has divided two neighborhoods over the proposed route for 90-foot transmission towers. The North Albuquerque Acres Community Association (NAACA) conditionally supports it, while Sandia Heights residents oppose it, both disagreeing over the same Tramway Boulevard route.
“They feel disenfranchised, because the only thing we were talking about was the substation,” Commissioner Diana Nelson said at the Sept. 3 hearing. “But the intimately connected transmission lines, now that’s a different story.”
The commission directed PNM to meet with Sandia Heights residents and those along potential transmission routes before the Dec. 3 hearing.
PNM plans a 2.5- to 3.5-acre substation on Paseo del Norte Frontage Road west of Fire Station 35. Three substation transformers serving the area are running 80% above normal rating, and three distribution feeders exceed 100%, according to NAACA’s website.
Without the new substation, the area faces a higher risk of localized power outages that could disrupt the electricity and water supply, according to PNM. The substation would serve North Albuquerque Acres as well as Sandia Heights, Quintessence, Heritage East, Tierra Monte, Primrose and nearby Albuquerque neighborhoods.
Neighborhood opposition
PNM held several community open houses in November 2024 where residents voted on potential substation sites. The utility hired Burns & McDonnell, a third-party engineering firm, to analyze the grid and rank developable sites based on technical criteria, including avoiding residential areas and sensitive populations, according to NAACA.
Sandia Heights residents say they were not included in early community engagement. PNM acknowledges the neighborhood was not engaged until late in the process, according to the Sandia Heights HOA website.
PNM’s consultants initially recommended the Eubank route over Tramway, according to the HOA, but the utility chose Tramway after North Albuquerque Acres residents opposed placing lines near schools and senior facilities along Eubank.
PNM spokesman Eric Chavez said the utility has met approximately six times with Sandia Heights homeowner associations and residents since the 90-day continuance, including a meeting with a wildfire mitigation expert.
“Safety remains our top priority, and PNM takes wildfire mitigation extremely seriously throughout our service area,” Chavez said in an email.
Chavez said the Dec. 3 hearing covers only substation approval, not the transmission route. If the substation is approved, PNM will conduct a formal routing study before seeking state Department of Transportation approval.l.
“What sets this proposal apart is the community input,” Chavez said, comparing it to the 2020 and 2021 denials. “By engaging residents early and often, PNM is working to ensure that local voices help shape the project.”
NAACA supports the substation only if transmission lines run along Tramway Boulevard, avoiding schools, daycares and senior facilities along an alternative Eubank Boulevard route.
Sandia Heights residents oppose Tramway, citing wildfire risks, including three fires in summer 2018, one caused by a bird on a power line, according to the Sandia Heights HOA. The neighborhood’s landscaping preserves natural terrain and native vegetation, which, combined with ongoing drought, increases fire danger, the HOA said.
The proposed fire station location also adds about $3 million to the project compared with PNM’s original Paseo del Norte and Eubank site, according to the HOA. The extra cost would be passed on to all PNM ratepayers.
PNM says burying the lines would cost about 17 times more than overhead construction, according to a 2019 company study. Neither Bernalillo County nor the City of Albuquerque requires underground lines. The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission requires PNM to provide reliable service while keeping costs reasonable, according to PNM’s project website.
County planning staff recommended approval of both the sector plan amendment and special use permit, citing 19 individual comments supporting the project and 7 opposing it, according to Planning Commission minutes.
The county previously rejected PNM proposals at Paseo del Norte and Browning in 2020, and at Paseo del Norte and Eubank in 2021, following community opposition.
If the commission approves the project Dec. 3, its recommendation will go to the Board of County Commissioners for a final decision, likely in early 2026. Construction would begin that year, with the substation operational in 2027. The $35 million cost would be spread across PNM’s 525,000 customers statewide.