Texas regulators last week formally approved one of two transmission projects necessary to integrate much of the city of Lubbock’s load into ERCOT.
The Public Utility Commission signed off on a certificate of convenience and necessity (CCN) during its open meeting Thursday, granting Sharyland Utilities and Lubbock’s joint application for a 58-mile, $90 million 345-kV link between substations in Ogallala and Abernathy. Substation improvements will increase the total cost to nearly $100 million (48625).
The commission also heard oral arguments from two landowners opposing the path of the second 345-kV project, a 33-mile line from Abernathy to Wadsworth projected to cost about $74 million (48668).
The PUC will vote on the second CCN during its Oct. 11 open meeting. Chair DeAnn Walker suggested neither landowner — one of whom said he was a 101-year-old World War II veteran — needed to again make the long trip from Lubbock.
“My daughters went to [Texas] Tech [in Lubbock], so I know what that drive’s like,” Walker said.
The CCNs are needed to move 470 MW of the city of Lubbock’s load from SPP to ERCOT. (See “LP&L Lines for ERCOT Integration near Final Approval,” Texas PUC Briefs: Sept. 12, 2019.)
Oncor will be responsible for the projects’ construction before turning them over to Lubbock Power & Light, the city’s municipal utility. Both lines are scheduled to be energized by June 2021, meeting LP&L’s target date to join ERCOT.
Commission Approves Rate Recovery, $328K in Fees
In other business, the commission approved $110,600 in administrative penalties:
- Retailer Quest Distributors was docked $20,000 for collecting deposits without informing the commission and without adequate customer protections (49576).
- Utility AEP Texas settled for $69,000 (49725) and Entergy Texas settled for $21,600 (49829) in penalties regarding annual service quality.
The PUC approved El Paso Electric’s requests for a distribution cost recovery factor, based on an annual Texas retail revenue requirement of almost $7.8 million (49395), and to implement an interim fuel refund of almost $19.2 million (49482). It also agreed to requests by Southwestern Public Service (49495) and Oncor (49594) to adjust their energy efficiency cost recovery factors.
— Tom Kleckner
