Jun. 16--The Colorado Public Utilities Commission will hold evidentiary hearings next week on another element of Xcel Energy's plans to expand its generating capacity in Pueblo.

The company filed in February for a certificate of public convenience and necessity that will allow it to put in new transmission lines between its Comanche Station generating plant here and its Daniels Park substation in northern Douglas County.

A public hearing was held in Castle Rock this week, drawing a few speakers but only one reportedly objected to the project.

Xcel already has a right-of-way for 73 miles of the 125-mile- long project, stretching from its Midway substation in southern El Paso County to the Daniels Park facility.

Company spokesman Mark Stutz said that Xcel has transmission lines now from Comanche to Midway, but the easements aren't wide enough to handle the double-circuit 345 kilovolt line that will be needed to move power from the expanded Comanche plant. Stutz said that the company has not decided yet if it will seek to expand its existing easements or acquire new ones.

Xcel plans to build a 750-megawatt generator at Comanche alongside its two existing plants with a capacity of 660 megawatts.

In order to get that power to Xcel's Denver market, the company plans to spend $150 million on the new transmission lines.

PUC hearings on the transmission line issue will be held Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of next week in Denver.

A decision is expected by the end of July.

The company also is awaiting a ruling on its air permit for the coal-fired plant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The department closed public comment after a hearing in Pueblo last week and its air quality board is now studying the case with a decision expected by mid-July.

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