Midland Reporter-Telegram

by Mella McEwen

Final pieces of the Permian Electric Reliability Plan are being developed, according to Public Utility Commission Commissioner Lori Cobos.

Discussing the plan with members of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association on Monday, Cobos said one of the final pieces is deciding the size of the transmission lines that will be built to import electricity from elsewhere in Texas to the Permian Basin.

The PUC will receive a report by the end of the year from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas on whether or not to use standard transmission lines or high-voltage lines, which are not currently in use in Texas, to bring higher-volumes of electricity to the region. Cobos said a decision by the PUC is expected by mid-2025, Cobos said.

“Either way you cut it, you will have imports from the rest of the state to meet that projected 26,000 megawatts of new demand by 2038,” she said.

In addition to new import paths, the plan includes new and upgraded local transmission projects to strengthen the area’s transmission service…

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