Why Texas is building a huge new power line in West Texas
Texas is building a huge new power line in West Texas to feed the Permian Basin oil fields, where operators already wait more than 2 years to connect new equipment to the power grid. On Friday, August 28, 2026, the Public Utility Commission of Texas unanimously approved 2 Oncor transmission projects, docket numbers 59315 and 59029, clearing more than 400 miles of new 765 kilovolt transmission line running from Somervell County westward toward the Permian Basin, the first lines built at that voltage anywhere in Texas. A kilovolt measures electrical pressure, and a 765 kilovolt line carries far more power over long distances than the 345 kilovolt and 138 kilovolt lines already crossing Texas, so fewer new lines move the same power. Together the 2 routes make up import path 1, 1 of 3 planned import paths meant to relieve the region. Oncor expects the first segment complete by 2028 and the second by 2029, though legal challenges could push both back.
A law that cut the deciding time in half
The approval moves this fast because of Texas House Bill 5066, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2023 with only 3 of 181 lawmakers voting against it. The bill ordered the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the operator of the state grid, to write a Permian Basin specific reliability plan by January 30, 2024, approved by the commission in April 2025. It also cut how long the commission can take to decide a transmission application, from 1 year down to 180 days after filing, a cut of 185 days, a bit more than half the old wait, a figure this site calculated from the before and after numbers the bill itself states rather than one the bill gives directly. That faster clock is why 2 lines opposed by hundreds of landowners still cleared the commission on schedule.
The drop of 185 fewer days is a subtraction this site made from the 2 numbers source 5 states directly, not a figure source 5 gives as a single number.
Show the numbers
| Standard timeline, before the 2023 law | 365 |
| Timeline under House Bill 5066 | 180 |
Why regulators chose fewer, bigger lines
A coalition backing the buildout, Texans for Responsible Infrastructure Investment, says the Permian Basin has averaged 11% annual peak power demand growth for a decade, more than half of it tied to oil and gas activity. The coalition cites a study by the grid operator itself, finding that serving forecast 2038 demand would take roughly 1,676 additional miles of new line at 345 kilovolt, against about 1,255 miles at 500 kilovolt, meaning the higher voltage option needs about 25% fewer miles, a comparison this site calculated from those 2 figures. That is the case for fewer, bigger lines like the ones approved here.
These 2 figures describe alternatives the grid operator studied and rejected in favor of higher voltage lines including the 765 kilovolt lines approved in this story, not a mileage figure for the approved project itself. The about 25% fewer miles comparison is a division this site made of the 2 numbers.
Show the numbers
| 345 kilovolt alternative | 1,676 |
| 500 kilovolt alternative | 1,255 |
Lawmakers and industry disagree on what the lines fix
Not everyone agrees it solves the real problem. Betsy Madru, a lobbyist representing the oil and gas producer Diamondback Energy, said the Permian Basin should not be treated differently from any other part of Texas.
We wouldn't expect Dallas or Houston or businesses right here in Austin to generate their own power, and the Permian Basin is no different.
Betsy Madru, lobbyist representing Diamondback Energy, an oil and gas producer. Source 1.
State Senator Kevin Sparks was blunter, and estimated the wider 765 kilovolt program could reach about 100 billion dollars over its lifetime once financing, equity returns, maintenance and taxes are counted, urging a pause for a full statewide review.
These lines do not address the primary issue of power generation.
Kevin Sparks, Texas Senate District 31. Source 2.
At an August 19 legislative hearing, State Representative Drew Darby explained that the fast clock was meant only for the Permian Basin plan, not every transmission line in the state.
When the transmission plan was brought to me, the 180 days was suggested, and it was suggested based on the Permian Basin Reliability Plan.
Drew Darby, state representative, R San Angelo. Source 3.
2 further import paths, Bell County to Ward County and Bexar County to Pecos County, remain in separate proceedings, and judges at the State Office of Administrative Hearings have already recommended denying the Bell County to Ward County route, citing cheaper alternatives.