Midtown Reliability Project
Tucson Electric Power is helping Tucson thrive by building a stronger, smarter grid that supports our community’s growth, facilitates additional use of clean energy resources and maintains reliability during extreme weather conditions.
The TEP Midtown Reliability Project will support these efforts by reinforcing systems that provide safe, reliable service. It will include a new higher-voltage transmission line, a new substation and other upgrades to modernize our energy delivery systems in central Tucson.
More Information
More than three times the capacity of current systems
The Midtown Reliability Project will deliver cleaner, more reliable service to customers in central Tucson through the coming generation.
Benefits and Need
The Midtown Reliability Project will replace older, lower-voltage equipment that cannot keep pace with the increasing energy use in central Tucson, an area that includes historic neighborhoods, popular business districts and the University of Arizona campus. Peak power demand in the area has nearly reached the capacity of that older system, reducing electric reliability and leading to longer power outages on some circuits.
Because these facilities are urgently needed to maintain reliable service, TEP will seek to complete construction by the summer of 2027.
Components include:
- A new overhead transmission line and substation that connect midtown neighborhoods to our modern 138 kilovolt (kV) system, more than tripling electric capacity in the area.
- Significant investments in distribution systems that link customers to our local energy grid.
- Retirement of up to eight aging substations and other equipment in neighborhoods throughout central Tucson, helping keep our service affordable.
Tucson’s peak energy needs have more than tripled since 1975
The largest proportion of Tucson homes was built in the 1970s. Most of Tucson’s 46 kilovolt system was designed to serve the energy needs of homes and other buildings built in the 1950’s through the 1990’s.
About the Transmission Line
TEP's largest local energy resources are located at our southside Irvington Campus. Our DeMoss-Petrie Substation, near Interstate 10 and West Grant Road, provides a crucial connection point for our remote energy resources.
The Midtown Reliability Project will provide central Tucson with a new higher-voltage connection to these two critical hubs, closing a gap in our local transmission network. That connection would be part of a 138 kV loop that also encircles downtown Tucson and growing southside neighborhoods served by our Kino Substation, which currently has just a single 138 kV connection.
This part of the project, which includes the proposed Vine Substation, was previously known as the Kino-DeMoss Petrie Transmission Line (Kino-DMP Project). Because the line is urgently needed to maintain reliable service, we will seek to complete construction of this overhead transmission line by the summer of 2027.
About the study area
- 36,936 residential customers
- 6,834 business customers
- 62 neighborhoods
- Eight 46 kV substations
About the Vine Substation
The proposed Vine Substation is planned for construction on 1.6 acres along North Vine Avenue just west of the Banner-University Medical Center Tucson staff parking garage. It’s a critical part of the Midtown Reliability Project, which will improve electric reliability throughout central Tucson.
TEP has installed more than 12,000 steel monopoles along City of Tucson streets
Approximately 1,890 of these poles stand 75 feet or higher. Taller poles allow lines to span longer distances – which means fewer poles are needed.