The Public Utility Commission of Texas yesterday issued its Order on Rehearing in Docket No. 35665, in which it selected the entities responsible for constructing, operating, and maintaining the CREZ Transmission Plan’s (CTP) facilities and improvements; established a general schedule for the filing of CCN applications; established a general schedule by which the facilities and improvements shall be completed; initiated several dockets by which the Commission will oversee the operation of the CTP; and specified reporting requirements and other measures to ensure that selected entities complete the facilities and improvements in a manner that is most cost-effective and beneficial to consumers.
The Commission assigned responsibility for the construction of CREZ transmission lines to the following companies:
AEP Texas Central Company (AEP TCC)
AEP Texas North Company (AEP TNC)
Bandera Electric Cooperative
Brazos Power Electric Cooperative
CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric
Texas Municipal Power Agency (TMPA)
LCRA Transmission Services
Oncor Electric Delivery Company
Cross Texas Transmission
Electric Transmission Texas (ETT)
Lone Star Transmission
Sharyland Utilities
South Texas Electric Cooperative (STEC)
Wind Energy Transmission Texas (WETT)
AEP TCC, AEP TNC, Bandera, Brazos, CenterPoint, TMPA, LCRA and Oncor previously were assigned responsibility for the default CREZ projects in Docket No. 35146. In this order, LCRA and Oncor each were assigned responsibility for certain priority projects. LCRA, Oncor, Cross Texas, ETT, Lone Star, Sharyland, STEC, and WETT each were assigned responsibility for the remaining projects in the CREZ Transmission Plan (CTP).
The Commission concluded that, because of the number and scale of the projects, the assignment of several transmission service providers (TSPs), and the necessity for multiple CCNs confirm the need to establish a filing schedule. The Commission determined that it was appropriate to create two dockets to effectively sequence the CCN applications necessary for the various projects contained in the CTP. The Commission is establishing this process to allow for the Commission’s anticipated schedule for completion of the CTP projects by year-end 2013.
The deadline to file CCN applications for the priority projects (those ordered in Docket No. 33672)is Oct. 7, 2009 (9 Oncor projects, 4 LCRA projects). Many of the default projects do not require a CCN amendment.
Sequencing for subsequent project dockets is to be established with two principles in mind: (1) the projects must be prioritized to address first the current system limitations that impede existing wind from reaching load, and (2) the sequencing of CCNs and project completion must facilitate the timely completion of all CREZ projects by the target completion date of year-end 2013.
The Commission noted that the 181-day deadline for processing and adjudicating CCN applications is applicable to all CREZ applications whether those projects are identified as default, priority, or subsequent projects.