AUSTIN — After a two-week delay to gather more information regarding development, the Public Utilities Commission of Texas approved a route for a power line, one that crosses Lake Livingston and affects eight East Texas counties.
At a hearing held Thursday in Austin, the group, without any public comment, approved the route.
Commission Chairman Thomas J. Gleason, prior to the meeting, had filed a memorandum that stated he felt Route 10 is the best route to move forward with the project, and that concerns about the project interfering with development were not correct since there were no plans in place.
“I just couldn’t ‘get there’ on the argument that this was ongoing development, not future development,” he said.
Commissioner Kathleen Jackson said that the PUC struggled with how much significant weight to be given to future development over existing constraints, and “for me, for those who are already there bear more consideration than future or even those that are in development along the actual route.”
Entergy applauded the approval.
“Receiving approval for a major transmission project and critical state funding demonstrates to our customers our commitment to further strengthen reliability and resiliency while staying focused on affordability,” said Eliecer Viamontes, CEO of Entergy Texas, in a press release. “Growth in Southeast Texas is creating incredible opportunities for the communities we serve, and it’s our responsibility to ensure we build a resilient power grid that supports long-term economic expansion and future energy needs.”
However, East Texas residents, particularly those with property around Lake Livingston, believe that routing the power lines across Lake Livingston is a bad idea ecologically. Additionally, the approved route would have the power lines cross Lake Livingston at a narrow portion between Trinity and Onalaska, directly through Barrett’s Landing, an upscale subdivision.
Entergy Texas Inc., an electric utility company providing service to more than half a million customers in 27 counties, plans to construct a new single-circuit 500 kilovolt transmission line approximately 160 miles in length over East Texas.
The project was approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Texas, which also will decide the project’s route, affecting Jasper, Montgomery, Newton, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity, Tyler and Walker counties.
Zach Brady, a lawyer based in Lubbock who represents Barrett’s Landing residents as well as other clients that will be affected by the project, said that his clients are opposed to any route that crosses the lake, particularly Route 10, which will end up cutting through their property.
Brady also said another concern is that the construction process will create an environmental hazard as the lake is listed as containing dioxides in the lakebed.
The city of Houston has also come out against the specific route, as it relies on Lake Livingston for 70 percent of drinking water.
Karl VanBrocklin, a former project engineer who lives off Barrett’s Landing Road, wrote the commissioners that the proposed route would cross that road, and should that section of the line come down for whatever reason, it would trap residents of more than 30 homes.
Additionally, he said that members of the Trinity County Commissioners Court and 356 VFD Fire Chief Marvin Saunders told the commission about the hazards of a downed power line in that area. All of them urged the commission to seek a route that does not cross the road.
Commissioner Tommy Park, as well as Saunders, testified that downed power lines would completely hamper emergency service to the area, while County Judge Danny Martin said that there would be a large ecological and recreational impact.
Martin also said that since Trinity County is resource-restricted, the project would significantly impact property values, resulting in a slowdown of future development and investment.
According to Entergy, the new line will connect the proposed Babel 500 kilovolt switching station to the proposed Running Bear Substation. The proposed Babel station would be constructed at one of three potential locations and connect into the existing Layfield to Hartburg 500 kilovolt transmission line south of Toledo Bend Reservoir in Newton County.
The proposed Running Bear Substation is planned to extend from one of four potential locations that will connect into Entergy Texas Inc.’s existing Lewis Creek facilities along Longstreet Road between Lake Conroe and Interstate Highway 45 or ETI’s existing transmission facilities east of Willis between FM 1097 and County Line Road in Montgomery County.
The project will use predominantly steel single-circuit structures, with typical transmission structures supporting 500 kilovolt lines approximately 100-140 feet above ground, with span links of approximately 800-1,200 feet between structures, all within a right-of-way up to 225 feet wide.
ETI’s western region has grown by approximately 5 percent per year over the past five years, and the Houston Metro area has expanded into ETI’s service territory. Transmission upgrades have improved load serving capabilities over the years, but the area remains constrained as growth continues. ETI cited Winter Storm Uri as an extreme event where the SETEX Area Reliability Project would improve load serving capabilities.
To find more information on the SETEX Area Reliability Project, visit https://www.entergytexas.com/transmission/setex. Related filings and PUCT information can be found by searching 57648 at https://interchange.puc.texas.gov/search/filings/.
