Texas regulators to consider massive 800-mile transmission line project

The Public Utility Commission of Texas is set to consider the approval of three massive 765-kilovolt transmission lines. Spanning nearly 800 miles across Central and South Texas, the project aims to deliver electricity to the oil and gas industry and support the state’s growing industrial sector.

The proposals, filed by Oncor, AEP Texas, and CPS Energy, represent one of the largest electricity infrastructure projects in the state. Designed by managers at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the lines would cross at least 40 counties.

Public Utility Commission Chairman Thomas Gleeson has expressed reservations, recommending that two of the proposals be sent back to administrative courts. Gleeson noted that the current recommendations from the State Office of Administrative Hearings were incomplete, specifically failing to explain whether the proposals meet federal reliability standards.