Backup power for White Rock is in the works

Published on August 19, 2025

With a mission to provide safe and reliable utility services, the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) maintains a high standard that includes backup plans in case utility services go down. Even with the best laid plans, however, the unexpected can still throw a monkey wrench, and that is exactly what happened when a backup electric transformer suddenly expired at 3:10 a.m. on Friday, August 8.

A little history

White Rock has one electric substation with two transformers. The community’s entire load is normally provided through Transformer #2. In early August, however, the load had been temporarily moved to Transformer #1, the backup transformer, so that maintenance could be performed on #2. When the backup transformer failed, all White Rock electric customers lost service until the load was shifted back to #2. The planned maintenance was then put on hold.

Though the #1 Transformer was commissioned in the 1960s, it has been continually serviced throughout its lifetime, including a 2019 overhaul in which it received new switchgear, bushings, fans and 115kv breakers.

Both transformers are tested annually, a process that includes a condition assessment based on oil samples. The 2024 tests for both transformers indicated no degradation or cause for concern so the failure of the #1 Transformer came as a surprise.

A path forward

With the loss of the #1 Transformer, the lack of electric redundancy for White Rock immediately became a top priority for DPU. Managers of the Electric Distribution Division are devising a plan to bridge the gap until a replacement transformer can be procured and installed—a purchase that could take several months.

DPU’s engineering team is working with counterparts at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to design and install a tie line between LANL’s 13.2kv line and the White Rock 12.47kv line west of Monte Rey South. A tie line is a transmission line that connects multiple electric systems. Voltage regulators will be installed to convert voltage to the correct level to supply White Rock if needed. This project is expected to be completed within two weeks. The procurement of the regulators is already in process and the installations of power poles and conductors are taking top priority.

Additionally, DPU is working to obtain access to a mobile substation transformer that can be connected to the 115kv line in the White Rock Substation should the #2 transformer go down. Negotiations are still in progress and a defined timeline is not yet known.