CPS Energy, ERCOT officials warn rapid data‑center growth is stressing transmission; South San Antonio projects highlighted

Linda Ball and other energy officials told San Antonio’s Municipal Public Services Committee that rapid load growth, large interconnection requests and the retirement of older generation are increasing pressure on transmission planning and prompting large transmission investments that will affect the CPS Energy service territory.

Ball, introduced on the record during the committee meeting, said regional forecasts show sustained growth: the system is projected to grow about 3 percent per year over the next 10 years and planners are seeing thousands of megawatts of new interconnection activity. Ball said active generation interconnection requests in the queue total about 346 gigawatts (as stated in the presentation) and cited a 2024 figure of roughly 5,800 megawatts of new additions in that year. She told committee members that regional planning and a pending corridor study will consider very high‑voltage lines (for example, 345 kilovolts) to move more electricity across the state.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed officials on local impacts — where new lines and substations would be sited, how property acquisitions would be handled, and how costs would be allocated to customers. Ball and other presenters…