The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved both applications without a recorded dissent at its meeting. In Control No. 59315, the final order selected Route 559 for the Dinosaur Switch-Longshore Switch project, a 242.6-mile line estimated at $2,242,769,000 including station work. In Control No. 59029, the order selected Route 476 for Longshore Switch-Drill Hole Switch, a 181.6-mile project estimated at $1,703,882,000.
The connected routes extend from a proposed switch about three miles north of Glen Rose to the Drill Hole Switch near the Culberson-Reeves county line. The proceedings' notice areas named 30 distinct counties, although the selected centerlines do not necessarily cross every county in the case captions.
Commissioners postponed the separate Howard-to-Solstice application in Control No. 59336 for further deliberation. Friday's two Oncor orders do not approve that AEP Texas and CPS Energy project.
Property rights and process
Property owners told commissioners the lines could impair ranching, wildlife, views and land values, and they objected to the compressed process. In the Dinosaur-Longshore case, administrative law judges found Oncor had not fully complied with a public-meeting rule after it added or modified route links without another meeting. The commission interpreted the rule to require at least one meeting before filing and concluded Oncor's notice was sufficient.
Paxton filed an amicus brief supporting American Stewards of Liberty's request to defer need determinations until the Legislature could review the buildout. “That is why I am calling for a pause on this project until a full and thorough review can be done,” Paxton said in an announcement. Enrolled House Bill 5066 directed a Permian Basin reliability plan and imposed a 180-day deadline for transmission certificate decisions, but it did not specify 765-kV lines. The final orders do not expressly adjudicate Paxton's request.
Reliability and ratepayer costs
PUCT found that Oncor demonstrated a reasonable need. The orders cite oil-and-gas demand and projected rapid growth in non-oil-and-gas loads, primarily cryptocurrency mining, data centers and hydrogen electrolysis. Texas Oil & Gas Association President Todd Staples warned commissioners that further delay would threaten reliable service for West Texas operations and communities. That prediction reflects the industry's position.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas' January 2025 comparison estimated the Permian projects at $13.77 billion under the 765-kV option, compared with $12.95 billion for a 345-kV alternative. Statewide, ERCOT estimated the 765-kV plan would cost $2.24 billion more initially and require 434 more miles of new right of way, but it would avoid 1,443 miles of upgrades to existing lines and produce an estimated $229 million more in annual consumer energy savings over the long term. Those are planning estimates, not guaranteed bill effects.
Oncor told regulators it would finance construction with debt and equity. The company says transmission construction and maintenance costs are recovered through electricity bills across ERCOT, not through tax collections, over the equipment's useful life. The certificate orders authorize the projects but do not set a monthly customer-bill impact.
Oncor currently targets 2028 completion for Dinosaur-Longshore and 2029 for Longshore-Drill Hole. | Image by Jason Hudson/Unsplash
Texas utility regulators approved two Oncor Electric Delivery projects Friday, authorizing 424.2 miles of new 765-kilovolt transmission lines with combined estimated costs of nearly $3.95 billion after Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and a landowner advocacy group urged the state to wait.
The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved both applications without a recorded dissent at its meeting. In Control No. 59315, the final order selected Route 559 for the Dinosaur Switch-Longshore Switch project, a 242.6-mile line estimated at $2,242,769,000 including station work. In Control No. 59029, the order selected Route 476 for Longshore Switch-Drill Hole Switch, a 181.6-mile project estimated at $1,703,882,000.
The connected routes extend from a proposed switch about three miles north of Glen Rose to the Drill Hole Switch near the Culberson-Reeves county line. The proceedings’ notice areas named 30 distinct counties, although the selected centerlines do not necessarily cross every county in the case captions.
Commissioners postponed the separate Howard-to-Solstice application in Control No. 59336 for further deliberation. Friday’s two Oncor orders do not approve that AEP Texas and CPS Energy project.
Property rights and process
Property owners told commissioners the lines could impair ranching, wildlife, views and land values, and they objected to the compressed process. In the Dinosaur-Longshore case, administrative law judges found Oncor had not fully complied with a public-meeting rule after it added or modified route links without another meeting. The commission interpreted the rule to require at least one meeting before filing and concluded Oncor’s notice was sufficient.
Paxton filed an amicus brief supporting American Stewards of Liberty’s request to defer need determinations until the Legislature could review the buildout. “That is why I am calling for a pause on this project until a full and thorough review can be done,” Paxton said in an announcement. Enrolled House Bill 5066 directed a Permian Basin reliability plan and imposed a 180-day deadline for transmission certificate decisions, but it did not specify 765-kV lines. The final orders do not expressly adjudicate Paxton’s request.
Reliability and ratepayer costs
PUCT found that Oncor demonstrated a reasonable need. The orders cite oil-and-gas demand and projected rapid growth in non-oil-and-gas loads, primarily cryptocurrency mining, data centers and hydrogen electrolysis. Texas Oil & Gas Association President Todd Staples warned commissioners that further delay would threaten reliable service for West Texas operations and communities. That prediction reflects the industry’s position.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ January 2025 comparison estimated the Permian projects at $13.77 billion under the 765-kV option, compared with $12.95 billion for a 345-kV alternative.
Statewide, ERCOT estimated the 765-kV plan would cost $2.24 billion more initially and require 434 more miles of new right of way, but it would avoid 1,443 miles of upgrades to existing lines and produce an estimated $229 million more in annual consumer energy savings over the long term. Those are planning estimates, not guaranteed bill effects.
Oncor told regulators it would finance construction with debt and equity. The company says transmission construction and maintenance costs are recovered through electricity bills across ERCOT, not through tax collections, over the equipment’s useful life. The certificate orders authorize the projects but do not set a monthly customer-bill impact.
Oncor currently targets 2028 completion for Dinosaur-Longshore and 2029 for Longshore-Drill Hole.
Provided by Dallas Express
