LCRA Transmission Services Corporation (LCRA TSC) invites the public to attend open houses planned in February in Junction, Menard, Mason, Fredericksburg, Eldorado, Kerrville and Sonora concerning a new transmission line project expected to be built by 2013. The project may impact Schleicher, Sutton, Menard, Kimble, Mason, Kerr, Kendall and Gillespie counties.
LCRA TSC will host the "come-and-go" style open houses as an opportunity to inform citizens about the McCamey D-to-Kendall-to-Gillespie Transmission Project and to gather public input concerning line routing. The transmission lines will move wind power from northern Schleicher County to substations in Kendall and Gillespie counties.
The open houses will not include a formal presentation. Rather, attendees may visit the open houses anytime during the posted hours. They are encouraged to ask questions of staff, view aerial photography maps to locate their property, and peruse at their leisure a number of exhibits that explain the project, the line siting process, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) approval process and other related topics.
Each open house is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., except in Junction, where the time is 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Also, in Junction and Fredericksburg, the public may attend open houses mid-day and/or evening.
The open houses will be held at these locations:
- Junction — Monday, Feb. 15; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Coke R. Stevenson Memorial Center, 440 N. U.S. Highway 83
- Menard — Tuesday, Feb. 16; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Menard Community Center, 301 W. Travis St.
- Mason — Wednesday, Feb. 17; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Mason Community Building, Fort Mason City Park, 1051 San Antonio St.
- Fredericksburg — Thursday, Feb. 18; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Pioneer Pavilion, 432 Lady Bird Drive
- Eldorado — Monday, Feb. 22; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Schleicher County Civic Center, 427 U.S. Highway 277
- Kerrville — Tuesday, Feb. 23; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Cailloux Campus Activity Center, 2100 Memorial Blvd., Schreiner University
- Sonora — Wednesday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sutton County Civic Center, 1700 N. Crockett Ave.
LCRA TSC hosted several open houses for this project in May 2009. Since that time, the original study area has been expanded, and several new route segments have been added. LCRA TSC is hosting the February open houses to inform and gather input from the potentially affected landowners located along the new route segments added since last May.
Almost 3,450 letters concerning the open houses were scheduled to be mailed on Jan. 29 to potentially affected landowners. LCRA TSC mailed similar letters earlier to elected officials and others. These newly noticed landowners are located along the new route segments that were added for study last fall at the joint request of LCRA TSC and the PUC.
Those are routes along and/or in the rights of way of U.S. Highway 277 and Interstate 10; routes running parallel to an existing 138-kilovolt (kV) line that traverses Menard, Mason and Gillespie counties; and routes running parallel to and in the same corridor as certain proposed segments for the Kendall-to-Gillespie project, north of the Kendall Station.
In May 2009, LCRA TSC sent more than 4,100 letters to landowners, elected officials and others in the original study area. More than 1,900 people registered at the open houses held at that time in San Angelo, Christoval, Junction, Harper, Comfort, Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Llano, Burnet and Lampasas for this project and the related Gillespie-to-Newton Project.
The addition of the new routes does not eliminate any routes currently being considered by LCRA TSC, nor does it mean that any of the new routes will be selected by the PUC for construction. All potentially affected landowners originally notified in May 2009 are still considered "noticed," although they may not receive a new notice at this time. It is important that those potentially affected landowners who received notices last year remain engaged in the process.
The PUC has directed LCRA TSC to provide several geographically diverse routes to consider for selection. After consulting with PUC staff, reviewing a large amount of public input and considering numerous routing proposals, LCRA TSC and PUC staff requested and were granted a motion to delay the Certificate of Convenience and Necessity filing for this project in order to study the feasibility of the additional routes.
Route description
LCRA TSC proposes to construct two new, 345-kV transmission lines, primarily on double-circuit capable lattice structures.
The first transmission line will be a double-circuit line that will connect the designated McCamey D Station, to be located in northern Schleicher County, to the existing Kendall Station, located in western Kendall County. LCRA TSC will install both circuits on this transmission line. The first transmission line may be located in portions of Schleicher, Sutton, Menard, Kimble, Mason, Llano, Gillespie, Kerr and Kendall counties.
The second transmission line will connect the existing Kendall Station, located in western Kendall County, to the existing Gillespie Station, located in central Gillespie County. LCRA TSC initially will install one circuit on double-circuit capable lattice structures, which will accommodate a second circuit when necessary. The second transmission line may be located in portions of Kerr, Kendall and Gillespie counties.
Transmission capacity for wind power to increase
LCRA TSC's new transmission lines are part of a greater estimated $4.9 billion project intended to allow for reliable and cost-effective delivery of power produced from wind generators located in areas of 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's current electric transmission capacity for wind power.
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. Several other transmission service providers also will build CREZ-related lines totaling about 2,400 miles.
By July 6, 2010, 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 final route for each of LCRA TSC's CREZ-related projects must be selected and approved by the PUC before LCRA TSC can begin construction. The PUC will select the route to build and will designate the structures used in the route's construction. Estimates are that the route from McCamey D to Kendall could be approximately between 128 miles and 165 miles long, depending on the route approved by the PUC. The estimated length of the routes from Kendall to Gillespie is about 28 to 33 miles.
After LCRA TSC files a preferred route and several alternative routes with the PUC, the public will have a chance to intervene with the PUC in its decision-making process.
For more information about these and other CREZ-related projects, look online at www.lcra.org/crez. Select the individual project for line-specific information. You can also contact Sara Morgenroth, regulatory case manager, at 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 4151.
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.
