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Powering a Growing Community: How two NBU projects are strengthening reliability for New Braunfels
June 30, 2026Reliable electric service doesn’t happen by accident. Every day, New Braunfels Utilities invests in the infrastructure needed to keep power flowing to homes, businesses, schools and essential services across our community. This summer, NBU reached major milestones on two electric system projects designed to strengthen reliability and support the growing energy needs of New Braunfels.
The new Hueco Springs Substation will help serve customers in the Veramendi area and western portions of NBU’s service territory. For customers, this $13.13 million project along River Road, at Edwards Blvd means a stronger electric system with additional capacity and flexibility to help maintain service during equipment issues, maintenance work and unexpected outages.
NBU also completed significant upgrades to the Henne Substation, located at 5207 Goodwin Lane. This $4.89 million project converted the substation to a breaker-and-a-half configuration, a more advanced design that meets Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) standards and improves system reliability by giving operators greater flexibility to perform maintenance or isolate equipment issues while minimizing customer outages.
These improvements allow power to be routed more efficiently throughout the system, helping reduce the number of customers affected when maintenance or repairs are needed. The project also prepares the area for future system improvements as New Braunfels continues to grow. While most customers never see substations, they play a critical role in delivering reliable electricity. Projects like this help ensure NBU can continue to provide safe, dependable service today while preparing for the needs of tomorrow.
Projects like Hueco Springs and Henne are funded through a combination of impact fees, utility rates, and the Service Availability Charge. As a community-owned, non-profit utility, NBU reinvests every dollar collected back into maintaining, improving and expanding the infrastructure that serves our customers. These investments help strengthen reliability today while preparing the electric system to meet the needs of a growing community for years to come.
