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TRICKY PROJECT MOVES ACROSS RIVER WETLANDS

MISSISSIPPI TRAVERSE

CONTENTS4TRANSMISSION INNOVATION Two teams in Transmission recently won an Innovator Award for their impressive combined efforts.

7WISCONSIN EVSXcel Energy has filed plans for a comprehensive electric-vehicle program that would simplify and significantly lower the costs for users in the state.

10MISSISSIPPI WETLANDS An interesting stretch of new transmission line proved challenging throughout a project recently completed in the backwaters of the Mississippi River.

14RENEWABLE GASNatural gas from a wastewater treatment facility is being recovered, processed and shipped onto the company’s system in a first for Xcel Energy.

16GREEN BONDSXcel Energy has joined a new and burgeoning bond market that focuses on the environment.

18PEOPLEThe most recent Friends We’ll Miss and Retirements.

ON THE COVERThe area where a new transmission line was recently replaced along the Mississippi River traversed land that is primarily under two or three feet of water in normal conditions. The project proved a challenging venture at many points. For more information, please see page 10.

(Editor’s Note: Ben Fowke, chairman, president and CEO, regularly shares his thoughts in this column for Xtra.)

My safety approach has always focused on one goal: do everything possible to make sure everyone goes home safely each night, in the same condition as when they arrived at work that day. That goal will never change.

I’m proud of our strong safety legacy at Xcel Energy and the great strides we’ve made in reducing injuries since embarking on Journey to Zero a decade ago. But newer research and best practices show the absence of injury does not mean safety has been achieved. This concept rings true when you look at the fact that our 2019 injury rates are our best ever, yet two employees and two contractor partners lost their lives on the job.

To take our safety program from good to great, we need a different approach. Going forward, we will prioritize our safety focus on preventing the most life-altering injuries and fatalities from happening. We will emphasize identifying the most serious risks inherent in our work and making sure that all of the possible controls are in place to mitigate them before we start work.

Some employees have expressed that safety investigations have too often focused on assigning blame, instead of using the incident as a learning

opportunity. We need to encourage transparency and trust as a foundational part of our safety culture, so that no one is reluctant to report an injury and they can get the immediate and proper care they need.

Safe is one of our company values and at the foundation of all we do at Xcel Energy. We all play an important role in building our safety culture. Leaders need to listen openly and calmly react to all mistakes. Employees need to feel comfortable reporting injuries, so we can benefit from in-depth learning opportunities and keep everyone safer in the future.

As we rollout our new safety approach, I am prepared for the possibility that our incident rates could initially increase, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we will have more injuries. More likely, the actual numbers experienced are similar, but we will just see more events being reported.

To this end, we will also need to measure success differently. Starting in 2020, our Corporate Scorecard safety metric, which currently tracks our DART (days away, restricted or transferred) incident rate, will shift to one that evaluates our safety culture.

It always takes time to change or enhance a culture, and there may be bumps in the road. But I’m optimistic that working together this new safety approach will make us all safer. X

TAKING A NEW LOOK AT SAFETY

CEO MESSAGE

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TRANSMISSION INNOVATION

(Editor’s Note: Innovator and I Deliver awards at Xcel Energy reward performance when teams and employees deliver greater-than-expected results. These award opportunities are designed to help fuel collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement and an enhanced customer experience. Xtra is running a series of articles on select winners.)

Two teams in Transmission recently won an Innovator Award for their impressive combined efforts.

The Scrubs and Capital Execution teams together identified more than 140 improvement opportunities. Those ideas have led to savings of well over $60 million and field productivity improvements of more than 20 percent – and similar savings should continue well into the future.

Scrubs Team

The Scrubs team focused on the scope of work for Transmission capital projects – specifically determining what is necessary for a project and what is “nice to have.” The name Scrubs involves the work of “scrubbing” a project’s scope to get to the best solution.

“It’s a new way to look at our scope of work,” said Matt Maloney, team lead and senior manager of the Transmission Project Management Office for Texas and New Mexico. “We start by considering what are the bare-bones needs to meet the law or regulatory requirements, then move on to other possible discretionary and positive-value additions.”

Through the new Scrubs process, it’s not unusual to pull $5 million, or even $10 million, worth of costs out of existing scopes of work, he said. And approval committees in Transmission end up with better quality projects, requiring less effort.

The Scrubs effort kicked off in September 2018 with a 10-week stretch of XE1 work to develop possible project-scope improvements. A small group of employees gathered ideas from 150 Transmission employees and another 150 key contractors, Maloney said.

“We considered any and all ways to complete projects more efficiently,” he said. “With that work completed, the Scrubs team formed and has been at it ever since.”

A prime example of the team’s work is the Bailey/New Amherst/Lamb line in the southwest portion of the Texas Panhandle. The Southwest Power Pool (SPP), the regional system operator, had initiated the project to upgrade the line due to low voltages in the area – and the company had agreed to rebuild the line.

That work was going to involve constructing 42 miles of new 115-kilovolt line between three substations, along with related work at those substations.

However, intensive internal work at the company showed the new $60 million line was not necessary, Maloney said. Transmission Planning took a close look at distribution-level load growth in the area, ran numerous models and found the facilities could support the projected load with only a small amount of upgrade work.

In the end, Transmission met with the SPP to reevaluate the project, and the “notice to construct” order was withdrawn, saving the company and customers $60 million in this one instance alone.

“This is the shining star in our work so far,” Maloney said. “It involved complicated and in-depth work to be comfortable

INTENSIVE INTERNAL WORK CREATES MYRIAD IMPROVEMENTS

JANUARY 1, 2020 5

enough to go back and say we don’t think we need this, but it was worth it and ended up being well-received by the SPP.”

Another example came out of a project in Wisconsin – the La Crosse/Coulee line. Although the savings were much smaller, the effort found several ways to both save money and improve safety and efficiency.

For instance, ropes were used to pull wire for the project, instead of helicopters, and a different type of foundation was used instead of typical concrete foundations. As well, land rights were secured to leave access roads in place for future maintenance needs.

“The overall effort allows us to objectively discuss project scopes like this,” he added. “Before the Scrubs effort, it was sometimes hard to understand what was absolutely needed and what was nice to have. With Scrubs, we can now clearly lay it all out.”

Capital Execution Team

While the Scrubs team looked at the front end of the project lifecycle, the Capital Execution team, like its name states, considered the actual execution of the work.

“Our goal was to find the difficulties in completing projects in the field and fix them,” said Jeremy Newton, team lead and regional director of Transmission Field Operations in the North. “We wanted to determine the headaches – that if we could fix them, we would improve productivity in the field.”

The team divided its overall XE1 effort into three phases. The first phase entailed diagnosing what the problems are, while the second phase determined which problems to try and solve, and how to go about fixing them. Finally, the third phase involved implementing the solutions to the problems via a number of pilot efforts.

In phase one, the team got at the problems by focusing on field employees – interviewing foremen and crew members to create a list of what they needed solved in order to improve their work. That list then grew through discussion with managers and the rest of the organization.

“We talked a lot and asked about what they were seeing in the field that they needed fixed,” Newton said. “That took six weeks, then we spent a month designing solutions to the problems.”

A series of pilot programs followed, and not a small series. A total of 44 initiatives are now realizing value for the company.

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“Some of the pilots took a lot of effort and time to implement because they involved coordination with a cross-functional team,” he said. “Others were quick hitters that we could test and put into action in a month. Overall, reactions have been quite positive across the board.”

The groups involved in the pilots included Supply Chain, Siting and Land Rights, along with all the various entities inside Transmission (Construction, Engineering, Operations, Project Controls and Project Management).

“If the field is seeing changes – such as effective scheduling, having ‘issue for construction’ plans ready to go and all materials in place – it drives home that we’re doing the right thing,” he said. “And it helps us move away from a fire-fighting mentality. It also says, ‘If you see something, speak up and your voice will be heard.’”

By far, the biggest impact achieved by the effort involved scheduling and construction readiness – everything involved before actual construction, Newton said.

“Our biggest wins were in the areas where we were having the most difficulties in readiness – materials and drawings,” he explained. “We are still not where we want to be, but we continue to improve each week thanks to the efforts of all involved.”

Through the team’s work, Transmission has moved up to 80 percent of projects now ready to execute when needed. The other 20 percent typically involve things that are out of Xcel Energy’s control due to issues such as suppliers not meeting material lead times, losing planned outages due to customer demand or weather, and needing to handle other emergent work.

The Capital Execution effort is now in sustainment mode. Two groups of well over 50 employees each meet weekly, going over hundreds of substation and transmission line projects to ensure readiness.

“We’ve managed to resolve many of our biggest headaches, along with other problems brought up from the field,” Newton said. “That has helped the company with cost savings, productivity and efficiency, which in turn benefits customers and shareholders.”

The team’s efforts are expected to create more than $5 million in savings in 2019 alone, and upwards of $8 million a year in the future.

“We have increased our level of productivity so we’re now competitive with contractors, which is significant in the industry,” he said. “Participation levels have been great, and we’re ready to keep moving forward.” X

INNOVATOR TEAMS The Scrubs and Capital Execution teams together identified more than 140 improvement opportunities. Pictured at top above is a map of a line near La Crosse, Wisconsin, and scenes of various transmission lines and projects are pictured elsewhere.

JANUARY 1, 2020 7

EVS IN WISCONSINCOMPANY PROPOSES COMPREHENSIVE EV PROGRAMXcel Energy hopes to provide customers in Wisconsin with a comprehensive electric vehicle program that would simplify and significantly lower the cost for residential, commercial and fleet customers who want to install EV charging equipment.

The company recently filed its request with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, and if approved, Xcel Energy anticipates making the program available in mid-2020.

“Our commitment to clean energy is reflected in our strong support for electric vehicles,” said Mark Stoering, president of Xcel Energy–Wisconsin. “Electric vehicles are great for the environment, and as they become more affordable, we’re going to see more of them on the road. Making it easier for customers to own an electric vehicle while helping them save money simply makes sense.”

If approved, customers can use EV charging technology provided by Xcel Energy to help them save money by charging their vehicle during the low-cost overnight hours. With electricity prices cheaper than gasoline, electric vehicles cost less to fuel than combustion-engine vehicles.

Participating customers can save the most money when charging their

vehicles exclusively during off-peak hours. Specifically, if they charge from midnight to 8 a.m. on the proposed EVR 1 rate, the cost would equate to about 54 cents per gallon.

Under the residential program, customers can choose to have Xcel Energy install a new, smart EV charger with embedded energy-monitoring capabilities. This equipment can charge a customer’s EV faster than a charger that plugs into a typical household outlet. Customers can pay upfront for this new equipment or monthly on their bill.

Xcel Energy is also looking to support business customers by expanding the infrastructure services required when installing charging stations for electric vehicles.

In other Wisconsin EV news, a group of Xcel Energy employees traveled to the capitol in Madison last fall to be part of an event highlighting National Clean Energy Week and drawing attention to EVs.

A Future of Transportation event provided an opportunity for participants to learn from experts about how the transportation industry is being transformed. They had the chance to see the latest in transportation technology with electric, hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles on display.

Xcel Energy was among more than a dozen industry experts to have displays and information in the Capitol rotunda about the many innovations that are occurring in the EV market.

Larry Loverude, community service and EV projects manager, shared information on the company’s EV initiatives, as well as its carbon-free vision.

In addition to the indoor exhibitors, there were several electric, hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles on display and available for test drives. Xcel Energy’s plug-in hybrid fleet vehicle also found a visible parking spot outside the Capitol.

“Many people are interested in learning about how to make a difference in the future of Wisconsin’s clean energy,” Loverude said. “At the same time, the EV market is growing rapidly, offering more choices for prospective EV owners.

“We had a lot of interest from participants, and it was great to share information about our efforts at Xcel Energy to develop programs that enable efficient charging stations with new affordable charging rates for EV owners.” X

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XCELAB POPS UP IN DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS

Xcel Energy is investing in a new incubation space for creativity and progress – XCELAB.

Designed to inspire from “idea to impact,” XCELAB recently debuted with a pop-up space at the Minneapolis Headquarters Campus, with plans to move to a new permanent location in the near future, as well as roll out in other forms across the company.

XCELAB is a place where employees can collaborate to explore new ideas, learn about efforts others are developing and work together to put innovation into practice. Employees can use the space for a variety of experiences, from learning about potential company offerings to working together to build out the details that will make ideas work.

“We’re a cutting-edge leader in the energy industry, and we’ve been innovating for a long time,” said Michael Gersack, vice president of Innovation and Transformation. “XCELAB represents our commitment to keeping that legacy going, and is one way we’re enabling our people across the company to be an active part of it.”

Initially, XCELAB will showcase the company’s HomeSmart home appliance repair program. Attendees will get an in-depth look at the customer offering, and learn about developments being

planned for the future.

Anyone is welcome to stop by any time during business hours to chat with members of the project team, or just to see the space in person. The XCELAB pop-up is in the south part of 414 Nicollet Mall’s lobby, with a design that makes it hard to miss.

“XCELAB is an example of what we can accomplish when we each bring our ideas to the table, then work together to put them into practice,” said Roopesh Aggarwal, senior director of Business Innovation. “This will provide us a platform to transform all aspects of our business at all levels and locations, positively impacting each of our stakeholders, including customers, employees and regulators.”

As a new concept involving customer offerings, physical space, idea management and more, XCELAB represents a close partnership among multiple groups, including the Innovation and Transformation Office, Advertising and Brand Strategy, Property Services and external agencies.

The nature of XCELAB means that the partnership will continue to grow and expand, as the core project team works with new parts of the company to both find and explore new ideas.

CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY ON CHEYENNE RIDGE WIND FARMThe new 500-megawatt Cheyenne Ridge wind project is underway and when completed will connect to a 70-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line, supplying enough clean, renewable energy to power approximately 270,000 homes.

The 65,000-acre wind farm and transmission line are located in Lincoln, Cheyenne and Kit Carson counties in eastern Colorado.

“This wind project is crucial to Xcel Energy’s plan to achieve 80 percent carbon reduction by 2030,” said Teresa Mogensen, senior

vice president of Energy Supply. “It is great to see the hard

work of our teams paying off first with the Rush Creek project in Colorado and now Cheyenne Ridge.”

The nearly 230 Vestas turbines are made in Colorado – manufactured in the cities of Brighton and Pueblo. Xcel Energy has hired contractor Mortenson Construction to build the wind farm.

The transmission line for the Cheyenne Ridge project will be complete in April 2020, with the wind farm coming online in December 2020.

ONLINE XTRA SUBSCRIPTION AVAILABLE FOR EMPLOYEES AND RETIREESEmployee readers of Xtra can opt out of receiving the print version of Xcel Energy’s employee and retiree

publication, and instead read the online version on XpressNet or via a portal on the company’s website at xcelenergy.com.

To complete the opt-out process, employees need to fill out a form on the Xtra homepage of XpressNet, providing their name,

employee ID and company email address. Those who choose to opt out will receive an email when a new issue is available

for online viewing.

The opt-out form and online versions of Xtra can be found by clicking on

the “Xtra Online” link, located

at the bottom of the XpressNet homepage. The online edition of Xtra also can be found at xcelenergy.com/Xtra – or from the home page, look under Community/Community Involvement/Retiree Directory.

In addition, retirees can opt out of receiving the print version, or request address changes regarding home delivery of the print edition, by calling the Human Resources Service Center at 800.689.7662. They also are invited to visit the webpage noted above (or xcelenergy.com/Retirees) to view the latest issue, as well as a number of back issues of Xtra.

In addition, and as a reminder, Xcel Energy’s main phone number is 800.328.8226. Just hit “0” for an operator to contact various departments and employees.

AROUND THE COMPANY

JANUARY 1, 2020 9

PHOTO OP

CITY OF EAU CLAIRE JOINS XCEL ENERGY’S ‘PARTNERS IN ENERGY’ INITIATIVE IN WISCONSIN In an agreement that’s the first of its kind in Wisconsin, the City of Eau Claire has joined Xcel Energy’s Partners in Energy initiative to help the city achieve its energy goals, and assist local residents and businesses in reducing their energy bills and carbon footprints.

Mark Stoering, president of Xcel Energy–Wisconsin and Michigan, and Dale Peters, city manager of Eau Claire, officially signed an Energy Future Collaboration Memorandum of Understanding at a media event and reception held at the newly renovated City Hall in November.

“We are pleased to partner with the city to jointly advance our shared energy related goals,” Stoering said. “Eau Claire is the first community in Wisconsin to take part in this new collaborative framework, and we are excited about the work that we can continue together.“

Partners in Energy is designed to provide communities with the tools and resources necessary to develop and implement an energy action plan that reflects the community’s vision for shaping energy use and supply in its future. The initial six to 12 months of the program is dedicated to developing a strategic energy action plan.

“Cities across our service territory are taking a much closer look at how they use energy and are seeking innovative ways to become more resilient through energy efficiency,” said Brian Elwood, general manager of Customer and Community Service. “We look forward to collaborating on a unique plan that will help them achieve their energy goals.”

“In order to achieve greater sustainable development, the city adopted carbon neutrality and 100 percent renewable energy goals in March 2018,” said Dale Peters, city manager. “After Xcel Energy announced its 2050 carbon neutral goals, it only made sense for us to work together to bring the needed resources to develop a workable renewable energy action plan.”

Throughout the plan, the city works with an Xcel Energy team that provides guidance, education and resources to develop a plan to achieve measurable energy goals. Eau Claire’s work will serve as both a climate-action and renewable-energy plan, with a diverse steering committee providing input along the way.

The City received grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin’s Office of Energy Innovation.

MONARCH FIX Clint Smith, overhead working foreman, took this photo during an outage last winter on Monarch Pass, just west of Salida, Colorado. Lineman Benjamin Johnson is on the pole, and both men work in Electric Operations out of the Salida Service Center. Smith explains: “We had an outage come in just before quitting time, so we went enroute to try and find the problem before nightfall. There was quite a lot of snow at that elevation [nearly 11,000 feet], so we used our Polaris Ranger to patrol the line until we spotted a phase down, then snowshoed to the pole and made repairs just before it got dark.”

Editor’s Note: “Photo Op” is a standing feature in Xtra. Each issue, a photo submitted by a reader or produced by a member of Corporate Communications will be published. Please submit high-resolution digital photos to the editor at the email address listed on the back page of this publication. By submitting images for “Photo Op,” employees give Xtra permission to run the photos.

NEWS BRIEF

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JANUARY 1, 2020 11

MISSISSIPPI WETLANDS PROVE A CHALLENGEDESPITE WATERY TERRAIN, LINE NEEDED TO STAY THEREShort, but tough. An interesting stretch of new transmission line proved all that and more throughout a project recently completed in the backwaters of the Mississippi River.

The area the new line traversed is primarily under two or three feet of water in normal conditions, with some areas poking up a half foot or so above water level. Not ideal conditions for a construction project, especially on “land” set aside as a National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

Just ask Chris Strom.

“The area used to be generally dry in the 1930s,” said Strom, senior engineer with Transmission. “But when the lock and dam system went into service on the Mississippi River, water was backed up to support river shipping and navigation.”

Eventually, due to the flooding that created an extensive wetlands area, the federal government purchased the land and declared it a sanctuary for fish and wildlife.

“We originally built the line just before the lock and dam system came along,” he added. “It’s now a big challenge to get out there. And it became especially daunting when we determined the line needed to be replaced.”

The short 2.2-mile line provides a tie between Wabasha, Minn., and Nelson, Wis., roughly 50 miles north of La Crosse, Wis. It is crucial for serving Wabasha, as it is the only backup source of power available to the city. The existing wood structures were in need of replacement due to their age and condition, some dating back to 1934.

Initially, of course, all other options to avoid the wetlands were considered. Somehow live without it? Build another line on the Minnesota side? Move it to any other location?

“We looked at all these different ideas, thinking there must be a smarter solution out there,” Strom said. “It took a while to sort through all the possibilities, but after all our work, nothing panned out.

“It was just a short stretch of 69-kilovolt line in a bad location,” he added. “But in the end, it needed to stay there.”

At that point, the six-person internal team worked to build a better “mousetrap” – coming up with a series of ways to save money and improve the line itself, along with effectively working with several involved stakeholders.

Work was first completed from the Nelson Substation to an

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WETLANDS WORK Although it involved just a short stretch of 69-kilovolt line, a recent project along the Mississippi River proved difficult in many ways due to the lock and dam system, which went into service back in the 1930s and created a nationally protected wetlands area. Pictured on these pages are numerous scenes of the effort.

existing tower at river’s edge. From there, 17 new structures went in. Two were “dead ends,” which hold the conductor in the air like a pair of anchors, and the other 15 were “tangents,” moving across the two miles without holding tension on the new line.

“One unique feature of our line was the reduction in the number of structures needed, from 27 to 17,” he said. “We were able to go with only slightly taller structures and longer spans to eliminate 10 of the former structures.

“In this way, we could avoid being in deeper water for some locations to save money on foundations, and keep other structures out of certain locations to reduce impacts for people using the area for hunting and boating,” he added. “It takes a lot to get out to these sites, so a significant amount of work was saved with each structure we avoided replacing.”

The new design worked thanks in part to the use of an ultra-high-strength conductor, allowing the increase in span lengths, while minimizing increases to structure heights. With a plan in place, the crux of the project became installing the new foundations for the structures.

Eleven of the new steel tangent H-frame structures were mounted on helical pile-and-grillage foundations. The “pile” portion of these foundations is screwed down as much as 80 feet deep to reach a specified torque, which indicates strength capacity. A metal plate and I-beams are then set on top of the piles, creating the grillage.

The remaining four tangent-structure foundations required a different, more complicated construction method, due to deeper water, poor soil conditions and anticipated ice loads. For these, vibratory caisson foundations were installed to a depth of about 50 feet by vibrating them into the muddy ground.

To ensure proper installation of the caissons with a heavy lift helicopter, contractor J.F. Brennan of La Crosse custom-designed a unique driving template. The template allowed a heavy-lift helicopter pilot to set each caisson into position, helping crews keep them aligned during driving operations.

“With these types of foundations, we didn’t need to move any dirt, didn’t have to de-water and evacuate any sites, and avoided issues of transporting and handling concrete associated with more traditional concrete piers,” Strom said.

With foundations in place and materials pre-positioned,

Transmission worked with System Operations to determine how long the line would need to be out of service. Then came the actual timing of construction.

The project location contains habitat for several different protected species, many of which have different timing restrictions. The company needed to work outside of a number of spawning times for fish, so nothing in the summer worked. Eagles return to the area each January and remain on their nests until late July, and many other protected bird species nest in the area in the spring – so work could not be scheduled from mid-winter through spring.

That left fall, but construction also needed to be completed before waterfowl hunting season began in October. And that finally left a window of time from early September to early October.

“We thought we could do it in two weeks, so the pressure was then on us to get it done,” Strom said. “We got it back online a day early, despite dealing with some rain and winds that grounded the helicopters.

“In the end, we overcame the challenges of building a line in a difficult environment,” he added. “We maintained reliability, minimized environmental impacts and limited the need for much maintenance in coming decades.”

And in accomplishing all of that, Xcel Energy also engendered plenty of trust and goodwill with the numerous stakeholders that needed to take part in the effort, said Ellen Heine, senior agent with Siting and Land Rights. The project team worked with natural resources agency staff and incorporated their input when developing access plans and construction methods.

“There were a lot of meetings at the site, hashing out options and thoughts on how best to proceed,” she said. “They were early and often, and it was a great cooperative project with lots of open communication.”

The effort required collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, among others.

“It ended up going very well, despite a lot of limitations with timing and access,” Heine said. “It certainly was a lot more interesting than a rural farmland crossing.” X

JANUARY 1, 2020 13

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Natural gas from a wastewater treatment facility is being recovered, processed and shipped onto the company’s natural gas system in a first for Xcel Energy.

The company worked with the Colorado cities of Englewood and Littleton to bring this renewable natural gas (RNG) stream onto its system. At a recent ribbon-cutting event, community stakeholders, Xcel Energy staff and South Platte Water Renewal Partners joined with mayors from both the cities and Luke Litteken, senior vice president of Gas, to celebrate the innovative project.

“This project is a great example of the future of the natural gas industry,” Litteken said. “Renewable natural gas is right in front of us, and it is going to offer some benefits early on during the carbon transition.”

Methane, the main chemical component in natural gas, is a natural byproduct of wastewater treatment facilities. Typically, that methane is collected and then burned, or flared off.

However, at the ribbon-cutting, attendees watched as the

flame at the facility went out as the captured natural gas instead began flowing into Xcel Energy’s natural gas system. In addition to reducing carbon emissions, the RNG also will generate revenue for both communities through renewable natural gas credits.

“As we pursue future carbon reduction, organizations like the South Platte Water Renewal Partners, who seek to reduce carbon emissions through innovation, will help move the energy market into the future,” Litteken said. “Renewable natural gas allows us to use existing infrastructure while reducing carbon emissions.

“Just as we are committed to providing 100 percent, carbon-free electricity reliably and affordably, we also are exploring opportunities to help customers reduce carbon emissions from their natural gas use,” he added. “As part of our transition and commitment to clean energy, we plan to help customers use natural gas efficiently, while exploring low- or carbon-free alternatives and voluntary programs.”

WASTEWATER FACILITY BRINGING NEW SOURCE OF GAS ONTO THE SYSTEM

RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS

JANUARY 1, 2020 15

The wastewater facility begins the process with its biogas cleaning equipment, which removes moisture, siloxanes, hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from the biogas. It then produces 96 percent methane gas that is moved onto the company’s system.

“We do have a sample point before it hits our system,” said Madison Shoemaker, senior engineer with Gas Process and Controls Engineering. “And if specifications are not met, the gas moves to the flare.”

There also is a regulator station onsite, which reduces the pressure of the gas to be sent into the pipeline. At that point, when it hits the Xcel Energy system, standard procedures are followed, the same as natural gas received from other producers, she said.

To install the pipeline needed to move the gas onto the main system, South Platte Partners first provided Xcel Energy with drawings of all of the underground utilities on its property in the southwest portion of Denver proper.

From there, Xcel Energy routed the line through the least-congested ground, said Katie Fuhr, area engineer for the Southwest and Front Range. In the end, 2,500 feet of four-inch gas line ran through the property before tying into existing company facilities running along a nearby road.

“About 95 percent of the new line ran on their property, which helped out a lot in terms of right-of-way,” she said. “And it was a pretty easy line to push through the remaining easement.”

Danny Tran, senior engineer with Process and Controls Engineering, initially worked on the renewable gas to determine what amounts of each constituent were in the flow. He also determined its heating value and the impact on the gas system if variables deviated from tariff requirements.

“Everything checked out,” he said. “I think it’s a cool idea. Renewables are doing something good for the environment. I hope it influences others to do it, as well.” X

NEW SOURCE At a recent ribbon-cutting event, Xcel Energy’s Luke Litteken (left) joined with two area mayors, community stakeholders and others to celebrate an innovative project in Denver. At the event, attendees watched as the flame at the facility (see page 14) went out as the captured natural gas instead began flowing into Xcel Energy’s system.

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GREEN BONDSXcel Energy has joined a new and burgeoning bond market focusing on the environment.

Appropriately named “green bonds,” the funding – as you might expect – goes toward capital projects such as wind and solar installations. These bonds are types of financial instruments in which the proceeds will be used for environmental-based projects, formally referred to as “eligible green expenditures.”

Green bonds hit Wall Street about five years ago. However, before last year, not many utilities had delved into the market, said Patty Martin, assistant treasurer.

In 2019, Xcel Energy became one of the top issuers of the bonds. Xcel Energy has issued four green bonds to date, totaling over $2 billion, across the company’s jurisdictions.

“We like how they align with our clean-energy strategy,” she said. “And we will continue to use them for appropriate projects.”

When Xcel Energy issues debt, it utilizes a network of banks to underwrite its securities and attract buyers (investors) in the market. But using green bonds to fund capital projects opens up the company’s bonds

to new investors, she said. And more demand for the company’s bonds helps increase access to capital and could potentially lead to more competitive pricing.

The company jumped in the market in a major way this year.

“In any year, Xcel Energy Inc. – our parent company – and its operating companies could each issue debt,” Martin said. “Investors see us as a ‘family,’ and there is always a risk, when five different bond offerings are made in a single year, that investors may feel their portfolio is over-weighted with one company’s name.

“However, with some of those bonds being green, different investors will look at your name,” she added. “That leads to more investors looking at our bond offerings.”

The first green bond was issued by a European investment bank back in 2007, although the market didn’t really begin to take off until 2013. Green bond issuances in 2019 topped the $300 billion mark.

Green bonds are designated bonds intended to encourage sustainability and support climate-focused or other environmental projects. More specifically, green bonds finance

projects aimed at energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, clean transportation, sustainable water management and the cultivation of other environmentally friendly technologies.

To qualify for green-bond status, the bonds are often verified by an independent third party, who certifies that the proceeds from the bond will be used to fund projects that meet the eligible green-expenditure requirements.

Green bonds provide investors with a way to earn income with the benefit of knowing that their investment is being used in a responsible and positive manner.

“The main benefit of issuing green bonds to the company is accessing a broader investor group,” Martin said. “There are some investment companies that have specific ‘green investment’ funds that by mandate may only be used to purchase green bonds.

“Having access to a broader or more diverse group of investors could lead to more demand and interest in our bonds – positioning us to have continued and cost-effective access to capital markets.” X

NEW TYPE OF INSTRUMENT FOCUSES ON THE ENVIRONMENT

JANUARY 1, 2020 17

‘I truly appreciate Xcel Energy’

Dear Xcel Energy: Tamara Wood [correspondence representative, Customer Contact Center, Centre Pointe, Roseville, Minn.] was very ef-ficient in responding to the question I had regarding my bill. I’ve not had a response involving customer service turned around in such a short amount of time. I truly appreci-ate Xcel Energy for having individuals who are knowledge-able enough to respond in a timely manner. Thank you.

—Norma

‘In awe of the work these people do’

Dear Editor: Love the story and photos about the Rocky Mountain Repairs in the November issue! I am in awe of the work these people do! Great photos also. Thanks for sharing this!

—Wendy O’Neil, Minneapolis

‘Much appreciated given the weather and the unsafe conditions’

Dear Xcel Energy: Thank you for getting the power back on as quickly as you could! Much appreciated given the weather and the unsafe conditions you had to work in.

—Daniel, Denver, Colo.

‘I am in awe of the guys who restored our power’

Dear Xcel Energy: Thank you for all your hard work, long hours and your professionalism during this trying time for us all. I am in awe of the guys who restored our power at approximately 1:00 a.m. Please know that you are very much appreciated.

—Diane, Wisconsin customer

AROUND THE COMPANY

LETTERS

FINAL PHASE OF ASHLAND LAKEFRONT PROJECT COMPLETEAfter more than seven years of work that involved the safe removal of thousands of tons of impacted sediment and debris, along with the installation of a long-term monitoring and treatment system, crews have completed the final phase of active construction at the Ashland Lakefront Project in Wisconsin.

“The entire area looks great and has met or exceeded all of our goals for the project,” said Mike BeBeau, project manager. “This could not have happened without the strong partnership with the community. We greatly appreciate everyone’s support and are excited to move forward after many years of working on this project.”

Over the past year, crews worked closely with the City of Ashland to restore the on-land area in a manner that would allow for future activities, without adversely impacting any elements of the completed remediation. These elements include several control features such as wells and utilities that will remain in place for long-term, active monitoring at the site.

One of the most visible features is a new, 12-foot-wide concrete

apron adjacent to the installed sheet pile wall. This concrete apron will be a welcomed amenity along the lakefront and help prevent erosion and protect the area from crashing waves.

About 85 percent of the 11-acre area is covered in grass, with the remaining area finished with gravel for an access road, proposed parking and boat storage. By year-end, the project team will submit a remedial action completion report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The agencies will then prepare a final close-out report that will review all remedial actions taken at the site including Phase 1 (on-land remediation), Phase 2 (sediment remediation) and the restoration of Kreher Park.

The on-land area will be fenced until all regulatory approvals are received, at which time the company will transfer control of the area to the City of Ashland. Final approvals are expected by mid to late 2020.

18 XTRA

FRIENDS WE’LL MISS

Patricia Armijo, 81, electrical designer, Utility Engineering, Amarillo, Texas, died on Oct. 1, 2019. She worked for SPS from 1979 to 2000.

Larry Berglund, 75, over-haul supervisor, Operations and Maintenance Support, Riverside Plant, Minneapolis, Minn., died on Oct. 28, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1964 to 1999.

Rosemary Bishop, 97, Colo-rado, died on Sept. 27, 2019. She worked for PSCo from 1960 to 1986.

Kenneth Brady, 83, died on Aug. 8, 2013. He worked for SPS from 1951 to 1991.

Sidney Briscoe, 80, working foreman, Gas Emergency and Special Services, Lipan Service Center, Denver, Colo., died on Oct. 5, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1969 to 2001.

Donald Brown, 70, technical instructor, Technical Training, Energy Supply, Maintenance Pool Building, Denver, Colo., died on Aug. 10, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy from 1969 to 2008.

Donald Campbell, 86, plant maintenance clerk, Colorado, died on Oct. 15, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1960 to 1994.

George Campbell, 84, me-terman, Electric Operations, Mountain Division, Summit County Operations Center, Silverthorne, Colo., died on Sept. 6, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1990 to 1999.

Rhonda Cardamone, 66, senior analyst, Distribution Mapping, Lipan Distribution Center, Denver, Colo., died on Oct. 25, 2019. She worked for PSCo from 1991 to 2013.

Arnold Cosgrove, 90, super-visor, Accounts Receivable, General Office, Minneapolis, Minn., died on Oct. 24, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1948 to 1984.

Alvin Crawford, 87, vice president, Engineering and Operations Support, Colo-rado, died on Oct. 27, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1969 to 1997.

David Denham, 96, distribu-tion standards manager, Rice Street Service Center, St. Paul, Minn., died on Sept. 23, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1953 to 1985.

Margaret DuRen, 81, lead nuclear plant attendant, Radiation Protection, Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Welch, Minn., died on Oct. 25, 2019. She worked for NSP from 1984 to 2001.

Floyd Erickson, 87, gas su-perintendent, Fargo Service Center, Fargo, N.D., died on May 5, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1956 to 1994.

Donald Gibson, 83, supervi-sor, Field Appliance Services, Support Services, Colorado, died on Oct. 12, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1962 to 1991.

Roger Goulet, 81, line crew foreman, Construction, White Bear Lake Service Center, White Bear Lake, Minn., died on Oct. 6, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1959 to 2000.

Kathleen Grauer, 74, super-visor, Vendor Payables, 414 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, Minn., died on Oct. 11, 2019. She worked for NSP from 1964 to 1992.

Phillip Hanson, 85, senior meterman, Gas Meter Shop, Materials Distribution Center, Henderson, Colo., died on Sept. 20, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1961 to 1991.

Wayne Hanson, 76, design-er, North/Wisconsin Design, Amery Office, Amery, Wis., died on Oct. 25, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1965 to 2007.

Milton Hill, 76, drafter, Production Services, Renais-sance Square, Minneapolis, Minn., died on Oct. 4, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1967 to 1999.

Duttee Holmes, 92, principal engineer, Division Services, Wisconsin, died on Oct. 24, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1950 to 1986.

Gary Holquist, 73, dis-patcher, Electric Distribution Dispatch, Seventh Avenue Service Center, Denver, Colo., died on Nov. 22, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1988 to 2002.

Curtis Johnson, 82, division foreman, Electric Operations, Grand Forks Service Center, Grand Forks, N.D., died on Oct. 1, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1964 to 1997.

Arlan Kemnitz, 92, line crew foreman, Transmission, Minnesota, died on Sept. 12, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1947 to 1982.

Carmelita Koch, 93, Colo-rado, died on Oct. 16, 2019. She worked for PSCo from 1964 to 1986.

Raymond Leech, 85, Cameo Generating Station, Grand Junction, Colo., died on Nov. 7, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1955 to 1994.

Gordon Luthi, 85, Meter Reader (Thereafter), Business Operations, Fargo Service Center, Fargo, N.D., died on Nov. 3, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1960 to 1992.

James Lyday, 82, unit manager, Customer Office, Colorado, died on Nov. 3, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1971 to 1994.

George Marshall, 95, electri-cal engineering manager, Colorado, died on Sept. 15, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1942 to 1988.

James Mattson, 85, Grand Forks Service Center, Grand Forks, N.D., died on Sept. 21, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1960 to 1993.

Timothy McDonald, 67, manager, Nuclear Work Control Center, Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Welch, Minn., died on Oct. 1, 2019. He worked for NSP from 2000 to 2018.

Darrell McGahhey, 89, tech-nician, Standards, Colorado, died on Nov. 17, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1955 to 1986.

Clarence Moates, 92, died on Aug. 1, 2019. He worked for SPS from 1948 to 1988.

Curtis Moe, 90, accounting coordinator, Revenue Ser-vices, Fargo Service Center, Fargo, N.D., died on Oct. 15, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1952 to 1987.

Leroy Molitor, 95, field supervisor, Overhead Con-struction, Rice Street Service Center, St. Paul, Minn., died on Nov. 8, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1948 to 1985.

Glen Moody, 90, died on Sept. 15, 2019. He worked for SPS from 1949 to 1991.

Jacqueline Moorhead, 75, administrative assistant IV, Policy Development, Seven-teenth Street Plaza, Denver, Colo., died on Nov. 21, 2019. She worked for Xcel Energy from 1991 to 2006.

Paul Morehead, 62, master technician, Gas Operations, Fargo Service Center, Fargo, N.D., died on Oct. 13, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1981 to 2014.

James Mulvaney, 89, credit superintendent, Customer Service Group, Chestnut Service Center, Minneapolis, Minn., died on Oct. 4, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1955 to 1988.

PEOPLE

JANUARY 1, 2020 19

Delbert Nelson, 81, energy services engineer, Energy Ser-vices, Two Denver Highland, Littleton, Colo., died on Sept. 28, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1967 to 1994.

Randall Ovaska, 71, repre-sentative, Business Solutions Center, Sky Park, Eau Claire, Wis., died on Oct. 10, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy from 1972 to 2005.

Ronald Otremba, 60, senior instrument and control special-ist, Plant Engineering, Techni-cal Services, Sherco Plant, Becker, Minn., died on Oct. 1, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1987 to 2019.

Harold Pemble, 80, shift supervisor, Operations, Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Station, Welch, Minn., died on Oct. 1, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1966 to 1998.

Nancy Pfennig, 75, claims investigator, Claims, General Counsel, Hayward Office, Hayward, Wis., died on Jan. 10, 2019. She worked for Xcel Energy from 1992 to 2010.

James Prifrel, 87, assistant general manager, Electric Sales, Management, Training and Administration, Chestnut Service Center, Minneapolis, Minn., died on Sept. 11, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1955 to 1993.

Alice Rudd, 88, died on Sept. 23, 2019. She worked for SPS from 1966 to 1995.

Eugene Sjaastad, 88, associ-ate engineer, Plant Engineer-ing and Maintenance, Minot Service Center, Minot, N.D., died on Oct. 20, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1957 to 1988.

Perry Sowards, 49, lineman troubleman, Electric Operations, Alamosa Service Center, Ala-mosa, Colo., died on Sept. 26, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 2000 until the time of his death.

Robert Speich, 94, district troubleman, Overhead, Stan-ley, Wis., died on Oct. 6, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1952 to 1987.

Douglas Steenhard, 69, garage foreman, Southeast Fleet Utilities Group, Faribault Service Center, Faribault, Minn., died on March 23, 2019. He worked for NSP from 1973 to 2006.

Ricci Utesch, 77, manager, Gas Emergency and Special Services, Lipan Distribution Center, Denver, Colo., died on Nov. 15, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1963 to 2000.

Albert Wellington, 97, training specialist, Production Service Training, Englewood Service Center, Englewood, Colo., died on Aug. 17, 2019. He worked for PSCo from 1956 to 1981.

Donald Williams, 86, senior technician, Northern Engineer-ing, Fort Collins Customer Center, Fort Collins, Colo., died on May. 3, 2018. He worked for PSCo from 1954 to 1994.

RETIRING

Todd Albertson, operations supervisor, Plant Manage-ment, A.S. King Plant, Bayport, Minn., retired on Jan. 3, 2020. He worked for Xcel Energy for 40 years.

Greg Bernatis (captaingtb@aol.com), mechanic A, Fleet, Materials Distribution Center, Henderson, Colo., retired on Nov. 18, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for 43 years.

Craig Coon, project director, Priority Pole Replacement Project, Southwest Metro Division, Lakewood, Colo., retired on Dec. 13, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for 47 years.

Donna Crespin (donnacres-pin@yahoo.com), energy efficiency specialist, Business Solutions Center, 1800 Lar-imer, Denver, Colo., retired on Dec. 31, 2019. She worked for Xcel Energy for 31 years.

Jodi Droll, senior balancing area operator, Transmission Operations, Lookout Center, Golden, Colo., retired on Dec. 13, 2019. She worked for Xcel Energy for 44 years.

Ken Elliott (krelliott04@com-cast.net), principal engineer, Engineering Construction, 1800 Larimer, Denver, Colo., retired on Nov. 5, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for 36 years.

Stephen Evans, gas fitter, Boulder Gas, Boulder, Colo., retired on Dec. 6, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for 31 years.

Albert Foster III (LJHarp-er13@hotmail.com), classified mechanic/welder, Production, Fort St. Vrain Generating Sta-tion, Platteville, Colo., retired on Oct. 31, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for 37 years.

Lori Gleason (glabgleason@comcast.net), senior system chemist, Testing Lab, Chestnut Service Center, Minneapolis, Minn., retired on Nov. 1, 2019. She worked for Xcel Energy for 36 years.

Alfred Hughes, superin-tendent, Hydro Production, Tacoma/Ames/Salida Hydro Plants, Energy Supply, retired on Oct. 8, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for 43 years.

Renee Johnson (Rjohn-son2929@comcast.net), administrative assistant III, Performance Optimization, En-ergy Supply, Chestnut Service Center, Minneapolis, Minn., retired on Jan. 10, 2020. She worked for Xcel Energy for 40 years.

Daniel Klein (sapphirecreek@wwt.net), technical distribu-tion design supervisor, Electric Operations, Eau Claire Service Center, Eau Claire, Wis., retired on Dec. 31, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for 30 years.

Michael “Leo” Lyons (leos-cast@frontiernet.net), lead mechanical operator, Blue Lake Generating Plant, retired on Dec. 27, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for 28 years.

Kenneth Michel, truck dispatcher and hiring of union craft workers, Substations, Maple Grove Service Center, Maple Grove, Minn., retired on March 15, 2020. He worked for Xcel Energy for 47 years.

Randy Michel (rmich@cheqnet.net), operator, Hydro East, White River Hydro, Wisconsin, retired on Dec. 31, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for 39 years.

Linda Reinhart, adminis-trative specialist–Nuclear, Administration, Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Welch, Minn., retired on Dec. 31, 2019. She worked for Xcel Energy for 31 years.

Thomas Sainio, senior I&C technician, Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, Monticello, Minn., retired on Dec. 30, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for 33 years.

Cathy Schwartz (cathy-schwartz09@gmail.com), prin-cipal accountant, Capital Asset Accounting, 1800 Larimer, Denver, Colo., retired on Nov. 1, 2019. She worked for Xcel Energy for 25 years.

Don Simpson (caranddls@gmail.com), principal specialty engineer, Substation Engineer-ing, 1800 Larimer, Denver, Colo., retired on Dec. 10, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for 41 years.

Mark Stutz (mstutz2410@yahoo.com), senior media relations specialist, Legisla-tive and Media Affairs, 1800 Larimer, Denver, Colo., retired on Aug. 16, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for 31 years.

Alfred “Denny” Wallace (pagandonman@gmail.com), troubleman, Line Department, Alamosa Service Center, Ala-mosa, Colo., retired on Nov. 30, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for 36 years.

Bruce Weber, senior electri-cal engineer, A.S. King Plant, Bayport, Wis., retired on Nov. 1, 2019. He worked for Xcel Energy for four years.

© 2019 Xcel Energy Inc.

CHANGING OUR FUTURE BY CHANGING

OUR PRESENT.

We’re meeting our growing energy needs by investing in infrastructure, supporting carbon-free energy and getting involved in local projects.

Visit xcelenergy.com to learn more.

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XTRAPublished by Xcel EnergyKevin Graham, Editor1800 Larimer Street, 9th FloorDenver, CO 80202Phone: 303.294.2417email: Kevin.Graham@xcelenergy.com

Contributors: Derek Wolden, Shevon Greene, Elizabeth Morris, Diana Yee and Liz Wolf Green

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