Our electric bills are about to go up. Most Texans have no idea why. Texas regulators approved $33 billion in new high-voltage power lines (the Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan, or STEP) without a single legislative vote. Factor in financing, maintenance, and taxes over the life of the projects, and the tab for ratepayers hits nearly...
The Public Utility Commission of Texas should pause implementation of ERCOT’s Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan (STEP) and carefully evaluate more affordable, reliable alternatives before committing Texans to the largest transmission projects in state history. While Texas faces growing electricity demand from population growth, industrial expansion, and data centers, STEP fails to address the state’s most...
An Economic Assessment of the 765-kV Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan And Alternative Approaches to Enable Cost-Effective Growth WRITTEN BY Brent Bennett, Ph.D. Download the full research paper here. KEY POINTS • The need for the 765-kV STEP is driven by an overbuilding of wind and solar across Texas, particularly in West Texas and South Texas,...