Transmission Projects
Transmission lines carry high voltage electricity from generation facilities to your local substation. From there, smaller distribution lines carry power to your home.
PEC owns and maintains about 304 miles of transmission line. As our Hill Country community continues to grow, our system grows, too.
Maintaining and improving our transmission equipment is a mainstay of our commitment to delivering low-cost, reliable, and safe energy solutions.
Current transmission projects:
PEC will rebuild and upgrade the existing 7.6-mile 138 kV transmission line that connects the Marshall Ford substation to the Trading Post substation and Marshall Ford substation to Paleface substation. These substations have shared lines and structures for 3.6 miles in Travis County. Upgrades are scheduled to begin in the fall of 2022 and are estimated to be completed by spring of 2023.
The purpose of this project is to upgrade the transmission line to meet the structure requirements outlined by the National Electrical Safety Code and increase the capacity of the transmission line. The upgrade includes replacing 3.6 miles of conductor supported by existing PEC’s structures from Marshall Ford substation to Long Wood Avenue and replacing structures and conductor along 4 miles of single circuit transmission line from Long Wood Avenue to the Trading Post substation.
The existing shield wire, which protects the transmission lines from lightning, will also be replaced with an optical ground wire to enable improved relay coordination and supervisory control of substations. The existing single-circuit structures will be replaced with new steel monopoles that are typically 85 to 120 feet tall and have ground line diameters of approximately 5 to 10 feet. Some large-angle poles will have ground-line diameters of up to 12 feet that can be up to 120 feet above ground and are generally used when the line shifts in direction.
The new larger conductors will increase the capacity of the transmission system serving PEC members and other electric consumers in Central Texas. This project will help meet the area’s growing demand for electrical power, improve system reliability, and reduce current ongoing maintenance costs.
PEC will rebuild and upgrade the existing 6.8-mile 138 kV transmission line that connects the Nameless substation to the Leander substation. It begins at Nameless substation, near the intersection of Nameless Rd and Nameless Ranch Rd and continues northeast to Leander substation, near the intersection of FM 2243 and Toll Road 183A. Upgrades are scheduled to begin in the fall of 2023 and are estimated to be completed spring of 2024.
The purpose of this project is to upgrade the transmission line to meet the structural strength requirements outlined by the National Electrical Safety Code and increase the capacity of the transmission line.
The new larger conductors will increase the capacity of the transmission system serving PEC members and other electric consumers in Central Texas. This project will help meet the area’s growing demand for electrical power, improve system reliability, and reduce ongoing maintenance costs.
The existing shield wire, which protects the transmission lines from lightning, will also be replaced with an optical ground wire to enable improved relay coordination and supervisory control of substations. The existing structures will be replaced with new steel monopoles that are typically 90-120 feet tall and have ground line diameters of approximately 5 feet. Some large-angle poles, generally used when the line shifts direction, can have ground line diameters of up to 12 feet and can be up to 120 feet above ground.
PEC will rebuild and upgrade the existing 6.2-mile 138 kV transmission line that connects the Trading Post substation to the Cedar Valley substation. Upgrades are scheduled to begin in the fall of 2023 and are estimated to be completed by spring of 2024.
The purpose of this project is to upgrade the transmission line to meet the structural strength requirements outlined by the National Electrical Safety Code and increase the capacity of the transmission line. The upgrade includes replacing 6.2 miles of conductor and structures along the transmission line.
The new larger conductors will increase the capacity of the transmission system serving PEC members and other electric consumers in Central Texas. This project will help meet the area’s growing demand for electrical power, improve system reliability, and reduce ongoing maintenance costs.
The existing shield wire, which protects the transmission lines from lightning, will also be replaced with an optical ground wire to enable improved relay coordination and supervisory control of substations. The existing structures will be replaced with new steel monopoles that are typically 90-120 feet tall and have ground line diameters of approximately 5 feet. Some large-angle poles, generally used when the line shifts direction, can have ground line diameters of up to 12 feet and can be up to 120 feet above ground.
PEC is rebuilding the wood H-Frame portion of the existing 4.25 mile 138kV transmission line that connects the Buda substation to the Turnersville substation in Hays County. This project is to improve the reliability of the transmission line.
Construction is scheduled to start in fall of 2024 and be complete winter of 2025.
Hays County is among the nation’s fastest-growing counties. A new 138kV transmission line and substation are needed to meet the increasing demand for electricity and to continue serving our growing membership in North Hays County. The new line will assist with providing more reliable electric service to the homes and businesses in the area, as well as improve voltage levels in Wimberley, Driftwood, and surrounding communities.
PEC has also made several improvements to the distribution system in this area to delay building new transmission, but load growth has exhausted these alternatives, and existing infrastructure will exceed its capacity to backfeed the Wimberley Substation load by 2025. Other improvements to the area distribution system will be exhausted by 2033.
PEC is in the very early stages of planning this project, with an anticipated completion in 2028.
High-level project timeline
- Q4 2023: PEC to engage routing, ROW, and legal consultants to support CCN
- Q1 2024: Continue touchpoints with elected officials; identify environmental criteria and constraints, develop routing, and identify directly affected landowners within 300 ft. of routing
- Q2 – Q3 2024: Public meetings, including notice to directly affected landowners; collect landowner feedback, update and finalize routing options, and finalize CCN application
- Early 2025: File CCN and perform PUC-required publication and direct notice to landowners, cities, counties, and other utilities and agencies
- 2025: PUC review and applicable administrative hearing
- Mid 2025: CCN approval and PUC-required final notice
- 2025 – 2028: Easement acquisitions, transmission line design, and construction
- 2028: Transmission line in use/energized
