Texas PUC approves construction of new transmission line

ETT Laredo-Edinburg 345-kV Line connects Lobo to Edinburg, adds substations, and boosts ERCOT reliability. PUCT-approved CCN backs 156 miles of steel single-pole transmission to harden the Rio Grande Valley against hurricanes.

The Public Utility Commission of Texas PUCT unanimously approved an application by Electric Transmission Texas, LLC ETT for a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity CCN to build a 345-kV transmission line from the Laredo area into the Rio Grande Valley.

The transmission project includes construction of approximately 156 miles of 345-kV transmission lines that will connect ETT’s Lobo Substation near Laredo with substations north of Edinburg and will add two new substations along the line route, a strategy echoed by transmission improvements in the eastern Texas Panhandle by Xcel Energy. The cost of the project is estimated at approximately $318 million.

In approving the CCN application, the PUCT also approved a unanimous settlement with nearly 100 landowners along the route, the PUCT staff and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, a decision comparable to transmission line approval in Alberta. The new transmission line from the Laredo to the Edinburg area will cross portions of Webb, Zapata, Jim Hogg, Brooks, Starr and Hidalgo counties. ETT plans to construct the transmission line on steel single-pole structures, an approach overwhelmingly supported by landowners.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas ERCOT determined Oct. 11, 2011, that the project is critical for the reliability of the ERCOT system and, specifically, the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Currently, there are only two 345-kV transmission lines serving the Valley. Both of the existing lines import power from the Corpus Christi area and run parallel to the Gulf Coast, which means both are vulnerable to hurricanes and other severe weather. Work to upgrade those two lines already is underway and should be complete in summer 2013.

“I am very pleased that so many groups were able to reach the unanimous settlement regarding the route,” said ETT President Calvin Crowder. “Approval of the CCN is a significant step to ensuring continued transmission reliability in the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo areas. We now will begin right-of-way acquisition and detailed engineering for the project, with actual construction anticipated to begin in 2014, similar to the Tucson Electric Power project timeline. Area residents will begin enjoying the benefits of the project in 2016.”

ETT is a joint venture between subsidiaries of American Electric Power and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company. The joint venture acquires, constructs, owns and operates transmission facilities, similar to a joint transmission project benefiting utility customers, within ERCOT, primarily in and around the AEP Texas Central Company and AEP Texas North Company service territories.

AEP, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5.3 million customers in 11 states. MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company provides electric and natural gas service to more than 7 million customers worldwide.

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