Texas regulators on Thursday approved the first extra-high-voltage transmission lines on the state’s main power grid in a bid to better serve the oil-rich Permian Basin.
The new lines will carry twice the voltage of existing transmission infrastructure on the grid run by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT. The grid covers about 90 percent of the state. Despite their higher cost, state regulators on the Public Utility Commission found that the new lines would reduce congestion on the existing transmission system and prepare the state to meet booming demand from electrification of the oil fields and other load growth.
In all, the state found, building new 765-kilovolt lines, rather than the standard 345-kilovolt lines currently in use on the grid, could save the state money in the long run by avoiding future construction.
“This decision brings ERCOT into the 21st century,” Matthew Boms, executive director of the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, said in a statement. “As electricity demand surges, we need a grid that’s built for the future — reliable, efficient, and cost-effective. Today’s vote is a strong step toward that goal.”
