The CPS Energy Board of Trustees has approved a $175 million project to strengthen Texas’ energy grid, expanding capacity to alleviate stress on the San Antonio area. Construction is estimated to begin in 2026.

As temperatures rise year after year, Texans rely on air conditioning running for longer periods of time to compensate, leading to increased strain on the grid. San Antonio has particularly struggled with heat waves, leading to overloaded transmission lines and a power network that is challenged to meet the needs of its constituents.

CPS Energy’s greenlight for a section of the San Antonio South Reliability Project will provide much needed relief for San Antonio residents. The project will extend from Howard Road Station to San Miguel Station, installing a 345-kilovolt (kV) double circuit transmission line for thousands of residents.

Much of the project will be located outside San Antonio city limits and cover a total of 24.5 miles. CPS Energy estimates that the line be in service by 2027. The completed stretch of transmission line will enhance the area’s resiliency and reduce the risk of blackouts, providing relief for three major transmission segments.

The Howard Road to San Miguel line only covers a section of the broader $329.1 million reliability project. According to agenda documents, the project would connect double-circuit 3456kV transmission lines over approximately 50 miles. The initiative will include multiple 138 kV and 345kV upgrades and will build a third autotransformer at the Howard Road switching station.

CPS Energy has partnered with the South Texas Electric Cooperative (STEC). STEC will be responsible for the south half of the joint project, while CPS Energy will focus on the north.

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