Texas is going to DOUBLE its Wind Power transmission lines in next few years and 4.9 BILLION will build alot of power transmission lines from the boonies of West Texas to the populated centers of the great state of Texas.

APWR 1.5 billion wind farm REQUIRES transmission lines to be planned before construction can begin on the 600MW 240 wind turbine farm in March 2010………watch Texas ”fast track” the transmission line to secure JOBS and TAX BASE for future generations of windy texans………..

CREZ stands for competitive renewable energy zones. A CREZ is an area where wind generation facilities will be installed throughout West Texas and the Panhandle and from which transmission facilities will be built to various other areas of the state to deliver mostly renewable power to end-use consumers in the most beneficial and cost-effective manner.

LCRA Transmission Services Corporation (LCRA TSC) is one of several transmission service providers, which have been formally ordered by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) to construct the new transmission lines that will be required to connect the CREZs to the load centers throughout the state. The PUC made a decision in January 2009 (Final Order issued in March 2009) as to which entities will build which transmission facilities. A few projects, termed default projects, were previously assigned to current owners to start implementing soon

Project Updates
•McCamey B to North McCamey
•Gillespie to Newton
•Twin Buttes to McCamey D
•McCamey A to Odessa
•McCamey D to Kendall to Gillespie new!
•McCamey C to McCamey A

LCRA TSC has been ordered by the PUC to build, own, and operate about 600 miles of new and existing transmission lines and facilities, which, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), represents about $795 million of the $4.9 billion project.

The overall CREZ effort will approximately triple Texas’ current level of wind generation capacity to 18,456 MW. The transmission lines that will connect the CREZs to the load centers will increase reliability of the ERCOT grid and increase the transfer of wind and other power into various parts of the state.

The project is a natural fit for LCRA’s public service mission and commitment to provide reliable, low-cost power to the people of Texas.

Learn more:

•LCRA’s public process. •Where is CREZ? See the CREZ areas on the Texas map.

•CREZ map with all TSPs’ ownership lines (March 30, 2009)

•CREZ map showing all CREZ-related projects awarded to LCRA TSC, including priority and default lines and substations

•FAQ gives more details.

•LCRA TSC routing process

•PUC Final Order (May 15, 2009)

•To review filings for this project go to the the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) document Web site at interchange.puc.state.tx.us and click on the “Login” button (you don’t need a user name as all visitors are “guests”). Then type “35665″ (the project’s PUC docket number) in the “Control Number” field.

•LCRA’s CREZ default projects

•Read CREZ press releases.

?Sept. 24, 2009 – LCRA TSC gets PUC approval for more time to study additional transmission line routes for wind power projects

?Sept. 17, 2009 – LCRA TSC requests more time to study additional transmission line routes for wind power project

?May 21, 2009 – New transmission line open houses draw about 1,900; public still has time to comment to LCRA TSC

?Apr. 18, 2009 – LCRA TSC to host five transmission project open houses in May to gather public input (Lampasas, Burnet, Llano, Fredericksburg, and Comfort)

?Apr. 18, 2009 – LCRA TSC to host six transmission project open houses in May to gather public input (San Angelo, Christoval, Junction, Harper, Comfort, and Kerrville)

?Apr. 1, 2009 – New transmission lines to transmit renewable power from wind farms to populated areas of Texas

?Jan. 5, 2009 – LCRA TSC to hold transmission project open house Jan. 15 in McCamey

?Sept. 11, 2008 – Diverse group of Texas transmission providers to file detailed transmission plan to support Texas CREZ Wind Power Initiative

?July 24, 2008 – Consortium submits proposal to develop transmission to support Texas wind initiative