wiredInUSA November 2016

The LCRA transmission services corporation in Texas will install 21 miles of 345kV transmission lines to connect the Zorn and Marion substations. County commissioner Jack Shanafelt explained that the project, which is planned for completion in May 2019, is a result of the closure of the San Antonio power plant. “When that happens, LCRA needs to bring more electricity to CPS and San Antonio and…the Austin-San Antonio corridor,” he said. The LCRA notice states the Bexar County’s CPS Energy JT Deely generating station, which produces 845MW, will suspend operation by the end of 2018, and adds that the Electrical Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) needs a 345kV line by 2019 to prevent overloading existing circuits. “The demand in this area has been growing, and that growth is expected to continue,” LCRA public information officer Clara Tuma explained. “Electric system planning assessments indicate existing transmission lines are not adequate to meet the future demand for electricity, so the additional 345kV infrastructure is required to serve the future demand for Guadalupe, Bexar, Comal and Kendall counties in a safe and reliable manner. The ERCOT board of directors endorsed this project and deemed the Zorn-to-Marion 345kV transmission line critical to the reliability of the electric grid.”

Securing Texan power

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wiredInUSA - November 2016

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