The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Sept. 26 unanimously approved a transmission plan to meet the future electricity needs of the Permian Basin Region.
The plan outlines transmission infrastructure investments necessary to support the on-going expansion and electrification of Texas’ oil and gas industry in West Texas and the growing electricity needs of the region’s local communities, the PUC said.
Texas House Bill 5066, passed by the Texas Legislature last year and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott, required the PUCT to direct the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to develop an electric reliability plan for the Permian Basin region.
The legislation requires that the plan address extending transmission service into areas where mineral resources have been found, address increasing available capacity to meet forecasted load, and provide available infrastructure to reduce interconnection times in areas without access to transmission service. ERCOT forecasts electricity demand in the region will grow to approximately 26 GW by 2038, which is equivalent to almost one third of the current summer demand of the entire ERCOT system.
The plan approved by the Commission includes two categories of transmission infrastructure to support the region’s current and future power needs: new and upgraded local transmission projects to strengthen the area’s transmission service and new import paths that will bring additional power to the region to serve the area’s growing electricity needs.
The Commission’s decision also outlines procedural next steps for implementing the plan, including direction to the transmission companies that will be preparing to build the projects and commission oversight of the plan’s completion.
