Texas utility commission to weigh approval of massive 765kV transmission project

On Friday, the Public Utility Commission of Texas will consider Certificates of Convenience and Necessity for three 765-kilovolt transmission lines totaling nearly 800 miles, filed by Oncor, AEP Texas and CPS Energy. These projects, the largest in the state’s history, were designed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and would traverse Central and South Texas across at least 40 counties. Earlier this week, commissioners approved two similar lines in North Texas after intense testimony from both landowners and the oil and gas industry.

Commissioner Thomas Gleeson has urged the agency’s administrative courts to review two of the proposals, noting missing federal reliability assessments and unclear consumer savings. Landowner groups, including the Hill Country Preservation Coalition, contend they received inadequate notice and that the commission’s 180-day review window is too brief, filing hundreds of letters and legal challenges. Industry representatives argue the lines are critical to support Texas’s rapid industrial growth and to address a decade-long shortfall in transmission capacity. State legislators, such as Senator Charles Schwertner, Rep. Ken King and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have called for the commission to reject the plans, citing concerns over property rights and the need for procedural reform.