According to the Sharlyland website, the Dallas-based company’s Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) Transmission Project received final approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) on Dec. 13, 2010 to run a final route for a Hereford to White Deer line and on March 22, 2011 PUCT approved a Herford to Nazareth line, the final of two lines running from the Hereford Station.
In total, there will be five transmission lines running from four collection stations in North Texas. All but one line (the White Deer to Silverton line) has been approved.
Sharyland expects to start construction on each line segment within six to nine months after getting approval from PUCT and acquiring right of ways along the routes. The Hereford to White Deer line was the first line to be approved by PUCT.
“We anticipate construction of the Hereford to White Deer line to begin by mid to late summer of 2011.” Sharyland spokesperson Jeanne Phillips said.
The lines will run power to the major load centers within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid such the Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston areas.
“No. The CREZ lines will be connected only to the ERCOT grid, which serves approximately 85% of the state’s electric load, including major load centers such as the DFW area, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. Retail customers in the Texas Panhandle are connected to an interstate transmission grid known as the Southwest Power Pool.” Phillips said when asked if any of the energy transmitted through the lines would be used in the Panhandle at any point in the future.
The scenario PUCT has selected for the transmission lines will add 18,456 megawatts of wind power into the ERCOT grid.
Hereford Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Sheila Quirk believes that the impact from transmission lines going through Hereford will be good for the town.
“I think it will be a great thing for Hereford and Deaf Smith County. The opportunities for the land owners that have wind farm development groups, for them to be able to tie in to the substation. Just the impact that it’s going to have [on our community], especially for our taxing entities.” Quirk said.
Quirk also believes construction on the lines will have a positive impact on the Hereford economy while construction crews are in the area.
“It won’t have anything but a positive impact on our community for the simple reason that as the construction crews come through building the substations and building the lines, they will be spending dollars in Hereford.” Quirk said.
It is expected that all transmission lines and collection stations will be operating by the end of 2013
