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Texas utility commission approves 400-plus miles of 765-kV transmission lines
Built WorldFirst approvals under the 2023 Permian Basin Reliability Plan cross 30 counties; Howard-Solstice decision deferred
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Overview
Updated 1 hour agoTexas utility regulators unanimously approved more than 400 miles of 765,000-volt transmission lines on August 28. The vote clears Dallas-based Oncor to build two corridors crossing 30 counties from Bosque County southwest toward the Permian Basin, where oil and gas companies say operations are starved for electricity.
The approvals are the first under the Permian Basin Reliability Plan, the 2023 program lawmakers created to electrify the oil patch. They came despite letters from Texas senators and House members urging a pause until the Legislature could rewrite the approval process, and after landowners told the commission that Oncor gave them too little time to contest routes.
Why it matters
These lines decide whether West Texas oil operations get grid power by 2029—and whether the $33 billion cost lands on every electricity customer's bill.
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Key Indicators
400+
Miles of 765-kV transmission lines approved
Two Oncor corridors approved on August 28.
30
Counties crossed by the approved corridors
Runs from Bosque County southwest toward the Permian Basin.
$33B
Estimated full statewide transmission buildout cost
Recovered from electric customers across the entire ERCOT grid.
2
Oncor lines approved of five pending applications
Howard-Solstice tabled; two Import Path 2 lines recommended for denial.
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Texas utility commission approves 400-plus miles of 765-kV transmission lines
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People Involved
Organizations Involved
Public Utility Commission of Texas
State Regulatory Agency
Approved two of five pending 765-kV applications
Texas state agency that regulates electric, water, and telecom utilities and approves transmission line certificates.
OE
Oncor Electric Delivery
Transmission and Distribution Utility
Holds approved certificates to build two 765-kV lines
Texas's largest transmission and distribution utility, based in Dallas.
ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas)
Grid Operator
Designed the reliability plan and carried the burden of proving need
Nonprofit corporation operating Texas's main power grid.
TO
Texas Oil and Gas Association
Trade Association
Pushed for approval of the transmission lines
Trade group representing Texas upstream oil and gas producers.
Timeline
2022 August 2026
10 events
Latest: Yesterday
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-
PUC approves two Oncor 765-kV lines
Latest Regulatory DecisionCommission votes unanimously to approve both Oncor applications, totaling more than 400 miles across 30 counties. It tables the Howard-Solstice application for further deliberations.
-
PUC consolidates Oncor cases on need
ProceduralCommission restarts the frozen docket and consolidates both Oncor cases into a single proceeding on whether the lines are needed. Thirty-one House members file a statement urging denial of all five applications.
-
Judges recommend denying Import Path 2 lines
LegalAdministrative law judges recommend denying the Bell County East–Big Hill and Big Hill–Sand Lake lines, finding need unproven and notice to 1,400 landowners defective.
-
PUC freezes western line docket
ProceduralCommission abates Docket 59029 while the eastern case remains at the State Office of Administrative Hearings.
-
Judge recommends approving Longshore–Drill Hole
LegalA state administrative law judge recommends the commission grant the application and approve route 476.
-
Oncor files first CCN application
FilingOncor files its Longshore–Drill Hole application, roughly 160 miles across 10 West Texas counties.
-
PUC chooses 765-kV design
Regulatory DecisionCommission selects the 765,000-volt design, the highest transmission voltage in use, over the 345-kV alternative common in Texas.
-
PUC approves reliability plan
Regulatory DecisionCommission approves the Permian Basin Reliability Plan with the question of voltage left open.
-
Legislature passes Permian Basin Reliability Plan
LegislationHouse Bill authored by Rep. Charlie Geren directs ERCOT to design a plan bringing electricity to the oil patch. Passes nearly unanimously.
-
Oil majors commission grid study
StudyExxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, and Chevron, with other big companies, commission a study on what grid upgrades West Texas needs.
Historical Context
2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
2005–2013
Texas CREZ transmission buildout (2005–2013)
The Legislature created Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) to move West Texas wind power to urban load centers. The Public Utility Commission approved roughly 3,600 miles of new transmission lines at a cost of about $7 billion.
Then
Construction ran from 2010 to 2013, with the final lines energized in December 2013.
Now
The buildout unlocked massive wind development in West Texas and became a model for how the state directs large transmission projects.
Why this matters now
CREZ shows Texas can complete a multi-billion-dollar, multi-county transmission build when the Legislature mandates it. The Permian plan follows the same playbook, but with 765-kV lines and a faster timeline.
2011–2018
Plains & Eastern Clean Line (2011–2018)
Clean Line Energy proposed a 720-mile, 4,000-megawatt high-voltage transmission line moving Oklahoma and Kansas wind power to Tennessee. The project received federal approval but was denied eminent domain rights by the Department of Energy.
Then
Landowner opposition and state regulatory hurdles in Arkansas slowed the project; it was cancelled in 2018.
Now
The project's failure became a cautionary tale about how landowner resistance and procedural defects can kill major transmission lines.
Why this matters now
The current Texas lines face the same landowner opposition but a different legal structure: Texas utilities can use eminent domain with a certificate of convenience and necessity. Whether that structure survives legal challenge is the open question.
Sources
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