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LCRA TSC reports full compliance with ERCOT winter inspections; previews $1.9 billion Permian Basin transmission build-out
Summary
Chief Operating Officer Chris Hellmier said ERCOT found LCRA TSC substations compliant in winter inspections and highlighted the PUC-approved Permian Basin reliability plan that calls for new 765 kV transmission lines and about $1.9 billion in related projects.
Chief Operating Officer Chris Hellmier reported to the LCRA Transmission Service Corporation board on May 21 that ERCOT’s winter weatherization inspections found 13 LCRA TSC substations in compliance with regulatory requirements and that inspectors praised substation cleanliness, equipment condition and technician support.
Hellmier said ERCOT inspectors appreciated that LCRA TSC completed checklists ahead of inspections and that an inspector suggested their methods "should serve as the basis for a best practices manual." Staff said inspections for the upcoming summer season will resume June 1 and that ERCOT inspected 30 substations last summer.
Hellmier also briefed directors on the Permian Basin reliability plan. He said House Bill 5066 (2023) required the Public Utility Commission to direct ERCOT to develop a reliability plan for the region; the PUC in April approved a plan that includes use of 765 kV transmission to bring power into the Permian Basin. Hellmier said the new 765 kV class is the first such voltage addition in ERCOT since the early 1960s. LCRA TSC expects to implement transmission system improvements related to the Permian Basin estimated at about $1.9 billion as part of its upcoming capital plan. He described two planned 765 kV lines that will each be built in partnership with Encore: one connecting Encore’s Bell County East substation to LCRA TSC’s Big Hill substation in Schleicher County (about 195 miles apart) and another connecting Big Hill to Encore Sand Lake substation in Ward County (about 75 miles apart); in each case LCRA TSC and Encore will each construct roughly half the line.
Hellmier said some 765 kV structures will be larger and require wider rights-of-way compared with existing 345 kV and 345 kV-class designs and that staff will return visuals and timeline information for board review. He described the projects as a long-term, multi-party effort and said LCRA TSC has already started work in regulatory, supply chain, real estate and project management areas to prepare.
