Here With You From The Start

From our railway beginnings to our renewable future, El Paso Electric has always had one thing in mind — our customers. Travel through time by the click of a mouse to learn more about our rich history with your community.

1900s

The El Paso Electric Railway Company forms in August 1901; although it will later become the El Paso Electric Company. Early tasks concentrate on improving transportation through electric railcars.

1900s

Electric railcars replace mule-drawn cars in 1902. Officials give retiring “Mandy the Mule” one of the first rides along the faster El Paso-to-Juarez line.

1900s

Electric streetcars increase the city’s transportation options. Tracks now take El Pasoans from Downtown to
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua; Fort Bliss, and the growing Government Hill neighborhood.

1900s

Repair crews face danger not only from electrical currents but also often from stray bullets during Madero’s revolution across the border in Mexico.

1910s

Construction begins on the Santa Fe Power Plant in 1911.

1910s

Electric streetcars share the Smelter Line Viaduct to the growing “Smeltertown” area with more-primitive transportation.

1910s

Production personnel gather at the
Santa Fe Power Plant.

1920s

A foreman at the Mesa Pumping Station works in a typical “War Togs” uniform of the time.

1920s

El Paso Electric’s all-female first-aid team stands ready for emergency needs.

1920s

Line construction, such as this on Schultz Street, make residential electricity more common.

1920s

Even with the Santa Fe Power Plant’s boiler room expansion, rapid population growth — including a considerable Fort Bliss expansion — leads El Paso Electric to consider further escalation by the 1920s.

1920s

Beginning a long history of community involvement, El Paso Electric sponsors races at the Juarez Racetrack in Chihuahua, Mexico. This popular pastime not only entertains locals, but also draws initial tourism interest to the area.

1920s

Increased demand for more than 15,000 meters and an 18,000-kilowatt capacity following World War I requires additional employees.

1920s

Expanding their ranks in knowledge,
El Paso Electric honors graduates of the Electric Railway Shop Course with a congratulatory dinner.

1920s

Construction on the Rio Grande Power Plant in the summer of 1929.

1920s

With electricity no longer limited to businesses or the wealthy, line crews fan out, expanding middle-class residential use.

1920s

Las Cruces Electric Light and Ice sells its
Water Street building to El Paso Electric to house the Mesilla Valley Electric Company.

1920s

The El Paso Electric trolley affiliates with
Gray Line Motor Tours.

1920s

Signs advertise coach tours, enticing tourists to visit the sights of
El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua.

1920s

The TNT sorority hosts a dance party in an El Paso Electric streetcar. The Company removes seats, installs a linoleum dance floor, and places a Victrola phonograph inside the car, which travels through town while passengers dance.

1920s

A poster emphasizes the high standard of dress and grooming among trainsmen.

1920s

El Paso Electric opens a Las Cruces office, responding to the almost 6,000 residents now living in the New Mexico town.

1920s

The Rio Grande Power Plant opens in
El Paso, Texas’, Upper Valley in November 1929 after only eight months of construction.

1920s

In 1929, the Company builds the
Rio Grande Power Plant, bringing service to customers from Van Horn and Sierra Blanca, Texas, to Hatch and Rincon, New Mexico.

1920s

The December 1929 Cactus Points employee newsletter captures the excitement of the Rio Grande Power Plant dedication.

1930s

Due to river meandering and subsequent legislation, officials determine the Rio Grande Power Plant actually resides in Sunland Park, New Mexico.

1930s

President R.S. Nelson shares information with El Paso, Texas, citizens concerning regulations under the federal acts of 1935.

1930s

Responding to the flood of new electric household appliances, the Company establishes an appliance-service team.

1930s

Growing tourism and the addition of the Standard Oil Company of Texas in the ’20s and ’30s lead to rapid expansion.

1930s

Reddy Kilowatt advocates additional household electric use as the ’30s draw to a close.

1930s

The Las Cruces Substation adds a
16,000-kva — or 16 million volt amp
— transformer.

1930s

By 1940, the appliance salesroom centers on home convenience, with electric ranges, washing machines and refrigerators.

1930s

From hot irons to cooling fans, electric mixers, lights and lamps, El Paso Electric sells modern conveniences in its salesroom.

1930s

Electric streetlights offer safe travel to hundreds of tourists making their way to Juarez, Chihuahua, drinking establishments during Prohibition.

1930s

El Paso Electric appliance salesmen answer demands for ironing tables sold with new time-saving electric irons.

1930s

T.E. Elkins, left, and Bill Schiffer tend to a 250-horsepower Worthington unit at the Van Horn Power Station.

1940s

An employee completes turbine maintenance as El Paso Electric once again enlarges the Rio Grande Power Plant.

1940s

Electric lights illuminate Downtown
El Paso, Texas, store displays, including this one highlighting a Kelvinator among the linen suits.

1940s

El Paso Electric and area citizens conserve power during World War II. The Company also makes special arrangements for those called to serve.

1940s

In order to conserve paper and printing costs, the Company put the Cactus Points newsletter on hiatus during World War II and instead produced a leaflet from 1941 to 1945.

1940s

Electric signs and streetlamps now dominate the booming commercial center of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

1940s

Hotpoint electric ranges and water heaters join the number of updated appliances in modern electric-powered homes.

1940s

Even Santa benefits from some good electric lighting in this holiday campaign.

1950s

The Cactus Points monthly employee newsletter, first published in 1922, receives a design update, including photography.

1950s

Night crews now tend to emergency repairs around the clock.

1950s

El Paso Electric acquires a 3,750-kva mobile substation to service emergency needs.

1950s

A Distribution Department employee shows off new 66-kva insulators.

1950s

Dispatchers respond to 11,333 calls within the service area.

1950s

With heavily equipped trucks answering needs, linemen provide smooth service to customers, who consume more than
1 billion kW hours.

1950s

Teletype machines inform employees of the customer cut-ins and cut-outs.

1950s

Employees remove a mobile transformer as part of a repair to the permanent transformer.

1950s

Construction continues on the 76-ton turbo-generator at the
Rio Grande Power Plant.

1950s

A Rio Grande Power Plant switchboard operator monitors load conditions during early-morning hours at the plant.

1950s

Pump-house operators ensure boilers receive adequate water throughout the night.

1950s

The 1955 EPE Board of Directors poses for a Cactus Points photo.

1950s

Rocky terrain challenges employees extending electric lines near Van Horn, Texas.

1950s

A view of the Ascarate Substation shows one of the power transformers.

1950s

Employees continually practice safety drills, including the pole-top rescue shown in this photo.

1950s

El Paso Electric honors a group of employees whose collective service totals 195 years.

1950s

An El Paso Electric employee covers all operation and safety tips for an all-electric kitchen in a new home.

1960s

Line crews regularly complete work on multiple lines carrying power throughout the region.

1960s

El Paso Electric dedicates the Newman Power Plant facility in the 1960s.

1960s

President Ray Lockhart visits with employees gathered at the Company picnic.

1960s

The Company constructs three units of the Newman Power Plant in the 1960s.

1960s

The El Paso Electric team gathers from across the 10,000-square-mile territory at Company picnics.

1960s

Officials break ground at the future Mesilla Valley Service Center.

1960s

El Paso’s Mountain Star, first constructed in the 1940s, shines throughout the ’60s. Stargazers take in the landmark for 100 miles by air and 30 miles on the ground.

1960s

A crane from Phoenix, Arizona, helps raise a 341,000-lb stator to its foundation. Use of the specialized crane turned a two-week job into one day’s work.

1960s

The Engineering Department now employs a team of draftsmen working on El Paso Electric projects throughout the region.

1960s

Workers move transmission lines, accommodating construction of Interstate Highway 10.

1960s

Crews work on the Star, situated on the eastern slopes of Mt. Franklin. The Star holds 459 lights in its 459-ft.-tall-by-278-ft.-wide structure.

1960s

The Mountain Star becomes one of the region’s most cherished landmarks and floods El Paso Electric’s mail room with thank-you notes and photo requests.

1960s

Clerks in the Anthony, New Mexico, office review billing.

1960s

The Mesilla Valley Division of El Paso Electric opens their $171,000 building on North Water Street in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

1960s

El Paso Electric’s 310 Console control panel’s lights show the status of the system’s substations.

1960s

An El Paso Electric appliance repairman checks the amperage on a home water heater, while enjoying a cup of coffee from a grateful customer.

1960s

The control-room operator and watch engineer monitor readings from across the system.

1960s

Underground crews take all safety precautions when servicing equipment.

1960s

El Paso Electric President W.V. Holik joins the mayor and aldermen inspecting new lights on U.S. Highway 80 East, stretching from the Lakeside Shopping Center to the east side of Ysleta.

1960s

A survey crew charts the course for expanding transmission lines near the Franklin Mountains.

1960s

Past and present employees of the Santa Fe Power Plant reflect on its history prior to removal of the building’s landmark stacks.

1960s

Employees of the New Business Department enjoy an outdoor banquet celebrating the department’s growing safety record — 11 years without a disabling accident.

1960s

Electrician Conrad I. Albrecht inspects the coils of a circuit breaker in the Santa Fe Electric Shop.

1960s

El Paso Electric surprised their 100,000th customer, Mr. and Mrs. Victor M. Yarbrough, with a new electric range.

1970s

Looking to alternative forms during the energy crisis of the 1970s, El Paso Electric begins construction on the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.

1970s

Work continues on one of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station’s three 1,270-megawatt units.

1970s

Continuing their community involvement, El Paso Electric sponsors local Future Farmers of America youth competitions.

1970s

A line-crew team pulls cables while working on another new El Paso Electric project.

1970s

In-house labs allow employees to test chemicals on site as part of El Paso Electric’s continuing search for greater safety and environmental stewardship.

1970s

Employees regularly test and adjust customer meters for accuracy.

1970s

Early computer technology improves data monitoring in the 1970s.

1970s

Employees nickname this external crane “Puff the Magic Dragon” for its ease in raising 85-foot structures during line construction between Deming, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas.

1970s

Few houses surround the Rio Grande Power Plant in the Anapra,
New Mexico, area.

1970s

El Paso Electric President Evern Wall and employees show Congressman Richard White around the facilities.

1970s

An engineer and plant manager display the front pedestal of a turbine.

1980s

By the 1980s, the El Paso Electric fleet grows and utilizes modern mobile tools when serving an expanding customer base.

1980s

With a little help from above, crews construct the Arizona Interconnection Project.

1980s

El Paso Electric moves its corporate offices to Downtown El Paso, Texas’, historic The Centre building.

1980s

All three units of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station are in operation by the end of the 1980s.

1980s

The Las Cruces, New Mexico, office now tends to the needs of more than 135,000 residents.

1980s

An employee creates an electric arc as part of a safety demonstration.

1980s

(From left) Russell Gray presents Ralph Lara and Richard Swartz with their Engineering-Aide certificates.

1990s

Investing in the future of the area, El Paso Electric serves the community through programs such as mentoring at Beall Elementary.

1990s

An employee demonstrates use of an early handheld device, which greatly adds to meter-reading efficiencies.

1990s

The Rio Grande reflects a Southern New Mexico sunset as it winds its way near the Rio Grande Power Plant.

1990s

The new control room at System Operations — often referred to as the nerve center of El Paso Electric — offers the ability to switch signals or reroute power throughout the region.

1990s

Service stretches from Van Horn, Texas, shown here, to Hatch, New Mexico.

1990s

El Paso Electric connects to Comisión Federal de Electricidad, Mexico’s state-run power company, near Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

1990s

Employees turn out for a good cause and good fun at the Community Involvement Volunteer Council Fundraising Bowl-a-Thon.

1990s

El Paso Electric employees, such as this volunteer youth coach, give countless hours to community projects.

1990s

El Paso Electric supports the Insights Science Museum, which first opens its educational exhibits in the basement of the Mills Building, home to El Paso Electric corporate offices.

1990s

El Paso Electric conducts tours of the Rio Grande Power Plant.

1990s

El Paso Electric employees demonstrate electric-safety tips to area schoolchildren.

1990s

The Red Hats rescue and response team carries safety beyond the classroom by conducting drills at the
Rio Grande Power Plant.

1990s

Crews transport a phase shifter, which regulates flow of electricity, to its final destination in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

1990s

Despite rapid urban growth, crews frequently work in remote areas.

1990s

Safety clerks upgrade efficiency with the addition of desktop computer software.

1990s

Transmission line and maintenance crew “commandos” construct and maintain equipment in all conditions — even utilizing snowmobiles in more remote regions.

1990s

El Paso Electric supports the Las Cruces International Mariachi Conference at the
Pan American Center.

1990s

Volunteer grill masters feed hungry crowds at the International Mariachi Conference and Festival.

1990s

Showing their skills go beyond electrical, El Paso Electric employees build futures through Habitat for Humanity.

1990s

El Paso Electric begins production from the Hueco Mountain Wind Ranch, built in the 1990s. In an average month, the two wind turbines generate enough electricity to power 450 homes.

2000s

El Paso Electric partners with the El Paso Independent School District by installing 12 photovoltaic panels on the Gene Roddenberry Planetarium for solar-energy education.

2000s

El Paso Electric enters into a 20-year project with the Southwest Environmental Center and New Mexico State University, installing a solar photovoltaic array. The project eliminates more than 37 pounds of nitrogen oxides and 17,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

2000s

Technology improves safety for line workers.

2000s

As Mother Nature threatens neighbors, El Paso Electric mobilizes with teams restoring power to Florida residents affected by numerous hurricanes in 2005.

2000s

El Paso Electric installs state-of-the-art technology in the Camino Real Landfill, capturing methane gases naturally produced during trash decomposition. As the gas then produces electricity in a generator, it truly turns trash into treasure.

2000s

Crews work on the Newman Power Plant Unit 5.

2000s

The Newman Power Plant Unit 5 shines brightly in the night sky.

2010s

Newman Power Plant Unit 5 now operates in combined cycle with two gas-fired turbines and one steam-powered turbine, generating enough electricity for approximately 153,000 homes.

2010s

The Hatch Solar Energy Center, the largest solar plant in the U.S. utilizing dual-axis tracking, begins operations. The project supplies 5 MW of solar electricity to the El Paso Electric system.

2010s

The Power sign provides a vivid focal point for EPE’s Rio Grande Power Plant Unit 9.

2010s

El Paso Electric facilitates construction of the Kalahari Research Center Windows to the Wild Outpost, adding solar and wind power to the El Paso Zoo.

2010s

The Kalahari Research Station’s solar panels and wind turbines reduce
El Paso Zoo’s electricity consumption by more than a thousand watts a day.

2010s

The El Paso Electric Kalahari Research Station officially opens on April 23, 2011.

2010s

El Paso Electric teams up with the University of Texas at El Paso and offers financial support for students entering the solar decathlon.

2010s

The NRG Solar Roadrunner Solar Generating Facility begins operation in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, offering
El Paso Electric 20 MW of electricity.

2010s

New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Jon Barela attends the opening of the Roadrunner Solar Generating Facility, calling it, “a milestone for the New Mexico border region.”

2010s

The Roadrunner Solar Generating Facility officially begins operation in October 2011.

2010s

El Paso Electric adds 52 kW of solar power from the Wrangler Solar Facility to their capacity.

2010s

Officials predict that the Wrangler Solar Facility will bring renewable-energy sources to 50 MW of supply by the close of 2012.

2010s

Six arrays make up the East El Paso Wrangler Solar Facility.

2010s

Experts estimate the Roadrunner Solar Generating Facility will produce power for 6,600 homes in the El Paso Electric system.

2010s

Experts estimate Rio Grande Power Plant Unit 9 will provide power to 38,000 residents.

2010s

The Rio Grande Power Plant Unit 9 expansion marked the first addition or upgrade at Rio Grande since the 1970s.

2010s

Breaking ground early in 2012, El Paso Electric expects the
Rio Grande Power Plant Unit 9 project’s completion in May 2013.

2010s

The Rio Grande Power Plant Unit 9 generator utilizes jet-engine technology.

2010s

El Paso Electric breaks ground on
Rio Grande Power Plant Unit 9 in January 2012.

2010s

The Las Cruces Centennial Solar Farm comes online in May 2012. Its contribution to the environment is about the same as taking 4,400 cars off the road every year. 

2010s

EPE’s commitment to renewable energy is now among the largest of any utility company its size in the United States.