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LCRA TSC approves seven transmission and substation projects totaling $139 million
Summary
The LCRA Transmission Services Corporation board on June 18 approved seven capital projects — three reliability overhauls and four capacity projects — with combined estimated costs of about $139 million; projects will be recovered through regulated rates upon completion and PUCT approval.
The board of directors of the Lower Colorado River Authority Transmission Services Corporation on June 18 approved seven capital improvement projects covering transmission line overhauls, substation upgrades and a property acquisition with a combined estimated cost of $139,000,000.
Josh Cole, a staff member presenting the item, said three projects are focused on service reliability and four are system‑capacity projects to add load‑serving capability. Cole told the board these projects will be funded by LCRA TSC regulated rates upon completion and subject to review and approval by the Public Utility Commission of Texas for cost recovery.
Cole described the projects, their scope, recommended completion dates and estimated budgets as follows:
- Buchanan to Burnet transmission line overhaul: an 11.4‑mile overhaul between Lake Buchanan and Burnet that will replace conductors and structures, install optical ground wire (OPGW/fiber), and convert portions of the line to operate at 138 kilovolts. Recommended completion date: June 30, 2026. Estimated cost: $36,200,000.
- Kingsland 1 to Sandy Creek transmission line overhaul: a 4.7‑mile north‑south line replacement of structures and conductor with installation of OPGW/fiber. Recommended completion date: Jan. 15, 2026. Estimated cost: $17,200,000.
- Transmission metering FY2025 substation upgrade: replacement of obsolete meters and associated equipment at 15 substations to improve reliability. Recommended completion date: Nov. 30, 2025. Estimated cost: $2,400,000.
- Bastrop Colony substation property acquisition: purchase of roughly 12.3 acres west of Bastrop, north of Highway 21, to site a future Bastrop Colony substation (follow‑on construction planned for 2027). Recommended completion date for acquisition: Dec. 31, 2025. Estimated cost: $2,700,000.
- Caldwell substation addition: construct a new 138 kV load‑serving substation in Caldwell in Burleson County and tie it into the Cook Point to Lyell Woltz transmission line. Cole said the project will interconnect Caldwell into ERCOT; recommended completion date: March 16, 2026. Estimated cost: $17,800,000.
- Sahinne to Kohlenberg transmission line addition: build a new 138 kV load‑serving substation and a transmission line to the existing Henny substation in Comal County (near I‑35 northeast of New Braunfels); work includes structures, conductor and OPGW/fiber. Recommended completion date: May 15, 2026. Estimated cost: $22,400,000.
- Hornsby substation upgrade: add two power transformers (the fourth and fifth transformers at the Hornsby substation in Travis County) along with associated switches and circuit breakers, increasing the substation’s load capability to just over 0.5 GW. Recommended completion date: May 31, 2026. Estimated cost: $40,300,000.
Cole said the board approves the annual capital budget and that individual projects return to the board for approval once scope and final budgets are completed. After Cole’s presentation an unnamed board member moved to approve the projects and another board member seconded; the board voted “aye” and the motion passed.
No public comments or individual vote tallies were recorded in the transcript. The packet included project descriptions and budget estimates; staff emphasized that some projects are intended to increase reliability and others to add capacity and interconnections.
