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07/18/2008 09:07 AM

Texas Approves Wind Power Transmission Plan for 18,000 MW

SustainableBusiness.com News

The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) today approved a transmission plan to move a total of 18,456 megawatts (MW) of wind power from West Texas and the Panhandle to metropolitan areas of the state.

The plan is estimated to cost $4.93 billion, or approximately $4.00 per month per residential customer once construction is complete and costs are reflected in rates.

It is expected that the new lines will be in service within four to five years.

Earlier this year, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the agency which oversees the state’s electric grid, responded to a PUC order to provide several scenarios to the commission. The four scenarios contained a total of 12,053, 18,456, 24,859, and 24,419 MW of installed wind generation distributed among five Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZs) in West Texas and the Texas Panhandle.

The PUC selected the second scenario.

Senate Bill 20, which the state legislature passed in 2005, directed the PUC to select the most productive wind zones in the state and devise a transmission plan to move power generated from these zones to various populated areas in the state.

Texas currently has 5,500 MW of wind capacity, an amount expected to grow to more than 9,000 MW by the end of the year.

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