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wiredInUSA - November 2016
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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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