About the Rio Grande Project
The Rio Grande Project was authorized by the Rio Grande Reclamation Project Act of Feb. 25, 1905. The project is located on the Rio Grande River in south-central New Mexico. Elephant Butte Dam, 125 miles north of El Paso, Texas, was completed in 1916. Caballo Dam, a flood control and reregulating reservoir, located 13 miles downstream, was added to the project in 1938.
Elephant Butte Powerplant and the 115-kV transmission system were added in 1940 and 1952, respectively. The transmission system was sold to the Plains Electric Generation and Transmission Cooperative in 1979. Hot Springs Substation was sold to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, in 1984. The three-unit powerplant has an operating capacity of 28 MW.
Historical Rates / Rate Adjustments
| RIO GRANDE PROJECT POWER SALES RATE HISTORY (Updated: 10/2/2009) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate Schedule | Effective Dates | Energy (Mills/kWh) | Capacity ($/kW-mo.) | Combined (Mills/kWh) |
| R5-F1 | 1940 – 1949 | 3.000 – 8.000 (declining block) | $1.250 | N.A. |
| R5-F2 | 5/49 – 4/74 | 4.000 – 4.5000 (declining block) | $1.000 | N.A. |
| SW-F1 | 4/74 – 4/78 | 4.500 | $1.550 | N.A. |
| SW-F2R (Step 1) (Step 2) (Step 3) |
4/78 – 4/79 4/79 – 4/80 4/80 – 9/82 |
6.000 7.000 8.500 |
$2.130 $2.720 $3.200 |
11.010 13.400 16.030 |
| RGP-F1 (Step 1) (Step 2) |
9/82 – 9/83 9/83 – 10/84 |
10.720 13.500 |
$4.555 $5.740 |
21.400 27.000 |
| RGP-F2 (Firm) | 10/84 – 4/87 | 15.425 | $6.545 | 30.850 |
| RGF-EE1 (Non-firm) | 10/84 – 9/87 | 22.000 | N.A. | N.A. |
| RGP-F3 | 4/87 – 9/87 | 18.460 | $7.850 | 36.920 |
| None | 10/87 – Present | N.A. | N.A. | N.A. |
| Note: Beginning October 1, 1987, all Rio Grande Project power became a Salt Lake City Area Integrated Projects resource. As of that date, direct sales to the public ceased. | ||||
Last modified on January 6th, 2026