El Paso Electric has named Eliecer “Eli” Viamontes its next president and CEO, effective Nov. 9. He replaces Kelly Tomblin, who is retiring after more than six years leading the utility and will remain an adviser through year-end.
Viamontes most recently served as chairman, president and CEO of Entergy Texas, overseeing electricity service to approximately 538,000 customers across 27 Southeast Texas counties.
An electrical engineer by training, Viamontes built his career in grid reliability, modernization and storm response during nearly 17 years at Florida Power & Light. He helped support the deployment of more than 5 million automated meters and commanded 3,000 lineworkers, tree-clearing specialists and logistics personnel during Hurricane Irma. His responsibilities also included negotiating labor agreements across NextEra Energy’s companies and developing workforce safety programs.
Viamontes joined Entergy in January 2020 to oversee utility distribution operations, leading 2,300 employees across five utility companies and directing storm restoration efforts. He became Entergy Texas president and CEO in November 2021 and led the utility through Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, when approximately 252,000 customers lost power. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA from Florida International University.
During his tenure, Entergy Texas advanced major infrastructure projects through regulatory approval and state funding decisions. Texas regulators approved a three-year, $137 million resiliency program in January 2025, and the utility received approximately $200 million in Texas Energy Fund grants in June 2026. The grants support upgrades to more than 400 miles of power lines and more than 9,000 utility structures, plus flood protection at five substations, without adding costs to customer bills, according to Entergy.
El Paso Electric serves approximately 473,000 customers across West Texas and southern New Mexico, with a 10,000-square-mile territory stretching from Van Horn to Hatch, N.M. The utility generates, transmits and distributes electricity, drawing power from resources that include Arizona’s Palo Verde nuclear plant, natural gas plants and solar facilities. Viamontes has identified reliable service and infrastructure investment to accommodate regional growth as priorities.
Under Tomblin, El Paso Electric modernized infrastructure and expanded renewable resources, according to the company, including the Aggie Power solar-and-battery facility at New Mexico State University, which entered service in 2021. At Entergy Texas, David Borde succeeded Viamontes as president and CEO on Oct. 5. Borde previously served as Entergy’s vice president of utility strategy and regulatory initiatives.
Photo courtesy of El Paso Electric
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