The public is invited to attend open houses planned in May in San Angelo, Christoval, Junction, Harper, Comfort, and Kerrville for a new transmission line project expected to be built in Schleicher, Irion, Tom Green, Sutton, Kimble, Kerr, Kendall, Gillespie, and Menard counties.
LCRA Transmission Services Corporation (LCRA TSC) will be hosting the “come-and-go” style open houses as an opportunity to inform citizens about the project and to gather public input concerning line routing.
Each open house will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. LCRA employees will share information with the public and answer questions about the project during the open houses. Exhibits describing the project and the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) approval process will be discussed.
The open houses will be hosted at these locations:
- San Angelo - Monday, May 4; La Quinta Inn Conference Center, San Angelo Room, 2307 Loop 306
- Christoval - Tuesday, May 5; Christoval High School Cafeteria, 20454 Toenail Trail
- Junction - Thursday, May 7; Coke R. Stevenson Memorial Center, 440 N. U.S. Highway 83
- Harper - Monday, May 11; Harper School Cafeteria, 23122 W. U.S. Highway 290
- Comfort - Tuesday, May 12; Comfort Park Pavilion, 427 Main St.
- Kerrville - Thursday, May 14, Tally Elementary School Cafeteria, 1840 Goat Creek Parkway
More than 2,000 letters about the open houses are scheduled to be mailed to landowners April 20. LCRA TSC also has mailed similar letters to public officials and others. The new Twin Buttes-to-McCamey D-to-Westwind-to-Kendall transmission project is part of a larger estimated $4.9 billion project intended to allow for reliable and cost-effective delivery of power produced from wind generators located in West Texas and the Panhandle, called Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ), to areas of high energy demand throughout the state.
The CREZ effort will significantly increase Texas’ current electric transmission capacity for wind power. Texas leads the nation in wind energy production, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
The PUC ordered LCRA TSC to build the new transmission lines in part to increase the reliability of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas grid and increase the transfer of wind and other power into various parts of the state. Several other transmission service providers also will build CREZ-related lines totaling about 2,400 miles. As ordered by the PUC, LCRA TSC will build, own, and operate about 600 miles of new and rebuilt existing transmission lines and facilities that will total about $700 million, according to PUC estimates.
The new Twin Buttes-to-McCamey D-to-Westwind-to-Kendall project will consist of three new, double-circuit, bundled-conductor, 345-kilovolt transmission lines. The lines will be built primarily on double-circuit capable lattice structures.
By early October, LCRA TSC must submit to the PUC an application to amend its Certificate of Convenience and Necessity, which is required before construction can begin. The application package will include information about a preferred route and alternative routes for the new lines. The route must be approved by the PUC before LCRA TSC can begin construction. PUC will select which route will be constructed.
For more information on line routing study area maps and CREZ-related projects, see www.lcra.org/crez.
About LCRA TSC
LCRA Transmission Services Corporation is a nonprofit corporation created by LCRA to build, own, and operate transmission lines and related facilities throughout Texas. LCRA TSC owns and leases about 4,400 miles of transmission lines and other facilities that are part of the state’s electric grid. LCRA TSC pays local and state taxes.
About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is a nonprofit conservation and reclamation district that provides energy, water, and community services to Texans. Created by the Texas Legislature in 1934, LCRA has no taxing authority and operates solely on utility revenues and service fees. LCRA supplies electricity to more than 1.1 million Texans through more than 40 wholesale customers. LCRA also provides many other services in the region. These services include managing floods, protecting the quality of the lower Colorado River and its tributaries, providing parks and recreational facilities, offering economic development assistance, operating water and wastewater utilities, and providing soil, energy, and water conservation programs.
