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System Improvements

We continually monitor and upgrade our system to improve reliability and safety for our members. Below are a few examples of our ongoing and planned system improvements.

Wildfire Assessment & Resilience for Networks Project (WARN)

Holy Cross Energy is proud to lead a consortium of 38 electric co-ops and other rural utilities selected to receive federal funding through the Wildfire Assessment and Resilience for Networks project (WARN), created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

WARN projects will modernize and strengthen our nation’s electric grid, protecting customers’ access to electricity during wildfires as well as mitigating the risk of wildfires due to our nation’s aging transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Project Overview

Colorado River Road Pole Replacement Starting October 2024

In October 2024, we started work replacing several poles along Colorado River Road. This important safety work will improve the resilience of one of the oldest sections of our electric distribution system’s powerlines. The project will continue over several months and we will keep members affected by this project apprised of any interruptions to their service during this time

We may be inspecting lines and poles in your area this summer.

This spring and summer, our crews may be in your area performing routine inspection and audit work on our electric lines and poles. Proactive inspections play an important role in ensuring the:

  • Safety of our members
  • Safety of our crews
  • Resiliency of our electric grid
  • Reliable delivery of electricity to your home

In addition to our own staff, we also work with third-party authorized contractors to perform much of this work. All field teams will have required personal protective gear, ID badges, and Holy Cross Energy vehicle decals. To ensure safe and efficient work, some of our contractors are now using drone technology to complete their inspections.

Drone pilots will determine the safest location to take off and land, which occasionally falls outside of our overhead easement and right-of-way.

If you have questions about a drone or an inspection crew in your area, please call us. For safety reasons, please do not approach the pilot while the drone is in the air.

We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we complete this important safety and reliability work.

Gilman to Avon Transmission Line

Holy Cross Energy proposes to construct an 8.65-mile-long 115 kV transmission line connecting Avon and Gilman substations. Construction and operation of the new transmission line would provide increased service resilience and minimize substantial outage risk to customers in the communities of Vail, Eagle Vail, Avon, Edwards, and parts of Eagle as well as provide a back-up electrical transmission service for the towns of Minturn and Red Cliff and all Xcel customers in that area.

Project Overview
gilman transmission line project

Drone Assisted Power Line Inspections

Drones equipped with infrared and standard cameras allow HCE personnel to quickly identify and address power line issues before they cause a power outage.

Wildfire Mitigation

This plan will expand upon our existing maintenance and safety programs to significantly reduce fire ignitions caused by our infrastructure, while strengthening the overall electric system. The wildfire mitigation plan is part of a larger, ongoing strategic effort to improve the safety and resiliency of our electric grid.

"Middle Mile" Broadband Installations

We have completed two phases of our “middle mile” network infrastructure project, installing fiber in the Roaring Fork and Eagle River Valleys to enhance our system communications.

Additionally, the fiber serves as an opportunity for third-party broadband internet companies to bring service into remote areas of our service territory that lack high speed internet access. 

Avian Protection Plan

Birds—most of them federally protected—perch, hunt, nest, and fly in the vicinity of overhead electrical infrastructure. These activities have the potential to lead to avian electrocutions and collisions, which may negatively impact safety and reliability. Avian management can reduce harmful avian power line interactions for the benefit of avian conservation, system operators, and power users.

Holy Cross Energy works proactively to protect avian species on our electrical system. In 2003, we first developed an Avian Protection Plan to minimize potential electrocution and collision hazards for birds on its existing power grid and improve compliance with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, and Endangered Species Act.

As part of our ongoing commitment to protect bird species, this 2019 Avian Protection Plan provides a primary resource for activities relating to avian protection. The document is relevant to management, engineers, and field personnel, and reflects contemporary best industry practice and the current status of federal and state regulatory and permitting systems.