News Release

Dec. 12, 2003

PNM Wraps Up Cerrillos Road Gas Main Work Six Weeks Early

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NEWS MEDIA CONTACT Susan Sponar Telephone: (505) 241-2768

Santa Fe: A PNM project to install nearly three miles of new natural gas pipe underneath Cerrillos Road is now complete, six weeks ahead of schedule.

Originally scheduled for completion by Feb. 4, 2004, the Cerrillos Road Gas Main Replacement project was completed today. Crews are now cleaning up the work area and making some minor road surface repairs.

The construction contractor, Flint Energy, finished the work early primarily because the company was able to bore, rather than trench, nearly the entire length of the new gas main. By boring, crews avoided major disruptions of Cerrillos Road.

"PNM was committed from the beginning of this project to completing the gas main replacement quickly and with as little disruption to the community as possible," said Deborah O'Callaghan, PNM director of North Central Operations. "Thanks to careful project planning and great execution by Flint Energy, we were able to deliver on that promise."

The new gas main replaces the bare steel pipe that ran under Cerrillos Road from just south of Siler Road to Cordova Road.

The old gas main was emptied of any remaining natural gas on Dec. 4 and then retired. The new gas main is made of modern materials that will increase the safety and reliability of PNM’s gas infrastructure.

PNM crews continue to work on a separate Cerrillos Road project as they replace electric power lines and utility poles between approximately 5th Street and Cordova Road, with most of the work occurring on the northbound side of Cerrillos Road. For more information on the electric line work, visit www.cerrillosroad.com and click on the PNM logo.