COTTONWOOD
SubstationColorado · CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO)
At a glance
COTTONWOOD is an electric transmission substation in Colorado, on CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO)'s transmission network. It is classified as high-voltage (230 kv) and connects 7 transmission lines. Substation proximity is one of the strongest speed-to-power signals for siting a datacenter — interconnection distance to an energized, high-voltage bus is often the binding constraint on time-to-energization.
Voltage & classification
Ownership
Connected transmission lines
Lines terminating at or passing through this substation, by HIFLD line ID, highest voltage first.
| Line ID | Voltage | Owner | Status | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #204952 | 230 kV | CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO) | — | 10.6 mi |
| #204908 | 230 kV | CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO) | — | 8.6 mi |
| #204919 | 115 kV | CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO) | — | 4.2 mi |
| #205002 | 115 kV | CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO) | — | 3.7 mi |
| #204998 | 115 kV | CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO) | — | 3.1 mi |
| #204999 | 115 kV | CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO) | — | 3.3 mi |
| #204918 | 115 kV | CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO) | — | 3.5 mi |
Nearby datacenter candidate sites
Scored candidate sites within roughly 25 miles of COTTONWOOD, ranked by DC Readiness. Sites this close to an energized substation carry a strong speed-to-power advantage.
| Site | Type | State | County | Voltage | Capacity | Queue wait | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN202739 | Substation-Adjacent | CO | El Paso County | 230 kV | 300 MW | 4.3 yrs | 65.1 |
| COTTONWOOD | Substation-Adjacent | CO | El Paso County | 230 kV | 300 MW | 4.3 yrs | 64.3 |
| MIDWAY | Substation-Adjacent | CO | El Paso County | 345 kV | 600 MW | 4.3 yrs | 63.8 |
| OZ El Paso | Greenfield | CO | El Paso | — | — | 4.3 yrs | 63.4 |
| TAP209761 | Substation-Adjacent | CO | El Paso County | 230 kV | 300 MW | 4.3 yrs | 63.4 |
| EC Near South Plant (CO) | Greenfield | CO | El Paso | — | — | 4.3 yrs | 63.1 |
| UNKNOWN202845 | Substation-Adjacent | CO | El Paso County | 230 kV | 300 MW | 4.3 yrs | 63.1 |
| OZ El Paso | Greenfield | CO | El Paso | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 62.6 |
How does COTTONWOOD compare with other substations in Colorado?
Colorado has 1,214 substation records in HIFLD, of which 400 carry a station name; the rest are unnamed tap points, risers and line ends. 128 named substations in the state are in COTTONWOOD's 230–344 kV band (32% of named stations). 20 sit in a higher band. 20 named substations in Colorado operate at 345 kV or above. The highest voltage recorded in the state is 345 kV, and the state median is 115 kV.
Who owns the transmission lines at COTTONWOOD?
The 7 connected lines listed above are owned by CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO). Line voltages range from 115 kV to 230 kV. Their combined recorded length is about 37.2 miles.
How do candidate sites near COTTONWOOD score?
The 8 highest-scoring candidate sites within about 25 miles range from 63 to 65 on the 0–100 DC Readiness scale. They fall in El Paso County, El Paso. The Colorado average across 3,428 scored sites is 50.6. 899 of those Colorado sites are classed as substation sites (candidate locations generated at an existing substation).
Frequently asked questions
What voltage is COTTONWOOD substation?
COTTONWOOD has a maximum voltage of 230 kV and a minimum of 115 kV. That places it in the 230–344 kV band. The median named US substation in this dataset is 115 kV, so COTTONWOOD is above the national midpoint.
How many transmission lines connect to COTTONWOOD substation?
7 transmission lines terminate at or pass through COTTONWOOD in the HIFLD line data. The connected lines listed here run at 230 kV, 115 kV. Together the listed lines cover about 37.2 miles.
Who owns COTTONWOOD substation?
HIFLD does not publish substation owners directly. Most of the transmission lines that end at COTTONWOOD belong to CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO). GridCensus derives this from the line data, so confirm ownership with the utility for anything contractual.
Where is COTTONWOOD substation located?
COTTONWOOD is in Colorado at 38.9414, -104.7830. The datacenter candidate sites closest to it are in El Paso County, El Paso.
Are there datacenter candidate sites near COTTONWOOD substation?
GridCensus lists at least 8 scored candidate sites within roughly 25 miles of COTTONWOOD. The highest-scoring is UNKNOWN202739 at 65/100. Across Colorado, the average DC Readiness score is 50.6.
Other 230 kV substations in Colorado
- CHEROKEE· 20 lines
- FORT LUPTON· 13 lines
- FORT ST VRAIN· 12 lines
- VALMONT· 11 lines
- DENVER TERMINAL· 10 lines
- FRONT RANGE· 10 lines
- WALSENBURG· 10 lines
- WELD· 10 lines
- All named substations in Colorado· 400 stations
- Datacenter candidate sites in Colorado· 3,428 sites
- Brownfield and retired plant sites in Colorado
- Substations by state
About this data
Source: HIFLD Electric Substations and Transmission Lines (U.S. Department of Homeland Security), as published June 29, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: GridCensus, “COTTONWOOD substation, Colorado”, https://gridcensus.com/substations/colorado/cottonwood-b57fb523 (data as of June 29, 2026).
Dataset updated . Screening estimates derived from public data sources.
Substation attributes are derived from public HIFLD / EIA infrastructure data and may lag real-world upgrades or retirements. Voltage and connected-line counts are screening figures — confirm available capacity and interconnection terms directly with the operating utility and ISO.
Go deeper than the public screen
Every site and score for COTTONWOOD substation, Colorado is free to browse. Pro adds Watchtower on 25 sites, alerts when new candidate sites, datacenters or interconnection-queue requests appear in your markets, score and capacity history, and CSV export. Enterprise adds team seats, weekly data files for all 147,272 sites, the REST API and an MCP server for AI tools.