LCRA Transmission Services approves three transmission projects totaling $13.4 million

The Board of Directors of the LCRA Transmission Services Corporation approved three transmission projects Wednesday, February 2025, with a combined estimated cost of $13.4 million.

The approvals cover (1) an overhaul of the Sitgo North Oak Park to Nueces Bay transmission line, (2) a fiscal‑year 2025 remote terminal unit (RTU) substation upgrade at 11 substations, and (3) an addition of load circuit breakers and bus‑reconfiguration work at the Upton substation. Board action authorizes the projects to proceed; funding will come from LSTRA TSE regular rates and is conditional on project completion and approval by the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

Why it matters: the projects are aimed at system capacity and service reliability in parts of the transmission system, including an underwater cable crossing and equipment that serves oil‑and‑gas loads in Upton County.

Staff member (name not specified), who presented the agenda item, told the board the transmission line overhaul is unique because it “runs underwater across the ship channel just off Corpus Christi Bay.” The work will upgrade cable termination equipment where the line transitions from underground to overhead. The staff presentation listed a recommended completion date of May 15, 2025, and a project cost estimate of $1,700,000.

On the RTU upgrade, the presenter said these devices are “really the brains of the substation that allow us to control and monitor what’s going on.” The scope covers replacing remote terminal units and related telecommunications equipment at 11 substations across the TSC service area. The recommended completion date is May 15, 2026, and the cost estimate is $2,500,000.

The Upton Load Circuit Breaker Addition was described as driven by oil and gas loads served by Encore in Upton County. Work will include changes to the substation bus configuration and installation of circuit breakers and switches to provide a point of interconnection to Encore. The recommended completion date is May 15, 2026, and the cost estimate is $9,200,000.

Board members moved and seconded the item and the motion carried. The transcript records the motion passed; individual vote names and a roll‑call tally were not recorded in the meeting transcript.

The projects noted in the board presentation will proceed under LSTRA TSE regular rate funding, subject to the condition that each project be completed and receive approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas, as stated in the staff presentation.

Meeting context: the presentation and board discussion of these projects took place as a single agenda item; the presenter invited questions before the board voted and no substantive changes or amendments were recorded before approval.

A brief consent agenda (three items) also passed earlier in the meeting, and the board congratulated Christian Kellner on a promotion during the session.