LCRA Transmission Services Corporation (TSC) is proposing to build a new 138-kilovolt (kV) transmission line in Guadalupe and Comal counties in Texas. The new transmission line will connect the planned New Braunfels Utilities (NBU) E.C. Mornhinweg Substation(to be located in Comal County in the general vicinity of FM 482 (east of Schwab Road and North of IH 35)), and LCRA TSC's existing Parkway Substation, which is located in Guadalupe County just west of Schertz Parkway (south of Wiederstein Road). The entire project will be about seven to 11iles long, depending on the final route. Click here for the study area map.
The single-circuit line is needed to improve the reliability of the electric transmission system while meeting the region's growing demands for electric power. It will provide a power source to the E.C. Mornhinweg Substation, provide a power source along the IH-35 corridor between New Braunfels and San Antonio that can serve future load, and provide a power transmission path between Central Texas and the San Antonio area.
Project Update:
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The deadline for submitting questionnaires was April 6. Thanks to everyone who provided their input. LCRA Transmission Services Corporation will take into account the public comments from the questionnaires and the March 22 and Sept. 2010 open houses as staff analyzes the preliminary routing segments to develop the primary alternative routes. Plans are to submit primary alternative routes to the Public Utility Commission this summer.
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In September 2010, LCRA hosted a public open house for the project. At that time, LCRA TSC anticipated filing its Certificate of Convenience and Necessity application for the project with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) in the fall of 2011. However, since that time, the project was put on hold while NBU worked on acquiring the land necessary for the planned new E.C. Mornhinweg Substation. Since then, NBU has acquired the proposed substation site and LCRA TSC has restarted the project as of November 2011.
Given the project delay, LCRA TSC hosted a second public open house on March 22, 2012, in Schertz, TX. On March 9, LCRA TSC mailed notices to elected officials and potentially affected landowners (i.e., persons listed on the current county tax rolls as owners of land within 300 feet of the centerline of the proposed preliminary route segments). The notices include the open house location, date and time. A revised project schedule includes filing in the summer of 2012 an application with the PUC to amend the Certificate of Convenience and Necessity, which is required before construction can begin. The PUC decides if new lines are needed to supply required electric service. While LCRA TSC will conduct a routing study and obtain public input for the potential location of the new electric facilities, the PUC ultimately decides the route of new transmission lines. For more information, call Christian Powell, senior regulatory case manager, at 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 4454, or (512) 578-4454, or send mail to LCRA, P.O. Box 220, Mailstop DSC D204, Austin, Texas 78767.
