Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association (CPWEA), a nonprofit landowner wind association located in Floydada, Texas, recently hosted ‘A Symposium: Preparing for Wind,’ featuring speakers from the Shaw Group, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and Sharyland Utilities.
‘Wind energy continues to be a source of economic growth in rural Texas,’ says Justin Jaworski, executive director of the Floydada Economic Development Corp. ‘The symposium was a great way to learn about the pending development Sharyland is pursing for our region. We look forward to landowners assisting in the placement of transmission lines through Floyd County so that we will not miss out on the financial benefits of this great opportunity.’
In January, the PUCT choose transmission service providers to begin construction on an expansive transmission line build-out with the purpose of being able to bring more wind energy into the electric grid system. Sharyland Utilities was chosen to build lines and substations in Carson, Randall, Armstrong, Castro, Swisher, Briscoe, Floyd, Motley and Dickens counties.
Sharyland will be building five line segments totaling approximately 250 miles of lines and four collection stations in two of the areas designated as wind-rich regions (Panhandle A and Panhandle B).
The new transmission lines are expected to add over 3,000 MW of new capacity for wind in the Panhandle A region alone. The entire Competitive Renewable Energy Zones build-out will add over 18,000 MW of wind capacity to the grid. The PUCT expects that all projects will be completed by the end of 2013.
Currently, Sharyland Utilities is in the process of completing a certificate of convenience and necessity (CCN), which it will submit to the PUCT for approval. The first steps in completing a CCN is to determine environmental constraints and to come up with several alternate routes in which their lines could potentially be built.
After these steps have been completed, Sharyland will begin conducting open-house meetings to gather public input. The utility anticipates filing its CCN with the PUCT in spring 2010 and beginning construction early 2011.
SOURCE: Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association
