Public Utility Commission of Texas

OSI to Provide New Energy Management System for Cross Texas Transmission

Open Systems International (OSI) was selected to provide a new SCADA/EMS to Cross Texas Transmission (CTT) based on OSI's monarch platform. CTT is a new Texas electric transmission utility selected by the Public Utility Commission of Texas to design, build and own transmission facilities for the interconnection of renewable generation in the Panhandle of Texas, one of the areas in which the Public Utility Commission designated Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ).

ETT and Sharyland File Joint CCN Application for Cross Valley 345-kV Transmission Line

Electric Transmission Texas (ETT) and Sharyland Utilities (Sharyland) filed a joint application with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to amend their certificates of convenience and necessity to construct the Cross Valley Project, a proposed 345-kV transmission line in portions of Hidalgo and Cameron counties in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The proposed line would begin at the AEP Texas North Edinburg Substation in Hidalgo County then head east to the Brownsville Public Utilities Board Loma Alta Substation in Cameron Co

People (April 2013)

Southern Company makes changes in operations and power subsidiaries; Michael Chesser to leave KCPL board; Dynegy names new e.v.p.; Rolando Pablos resigns from Texas PUC; In Memoriam: Kris R. Nielsen.

Green Gridworks

Case studies on integrating renewable resources.

Where wind integration has been most successful, state authorities developed and adopted basic transmission planning and cost allocation principles before FERC issued Order 1000. Experiences in Texas, California, and Hawaii demonstrate what it takes to overcome permitting and cost allocation barriers—namely, a coherent policy framework and close coordination among stakeholders.

Battle Lines:

2011 Groundbreaking Law & Lawyers Survey and Report

With a flurry of major new environmental regulations, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is altering the power generation landscape. But will the new federal rules survive court challenges—to say nothing of next year’s national elections? Fortnightly's Michael T. Burr considers the controversy over new environmental standards. PLUS: Top Utility Lawyers of 2011.

Vendor Neutral

(August 2011) Shaw Group completes 500 MW combined cycle plant; Pattern Energy begins building Spring Valley wind farm; AEP, Duke and TVA team up on interstate transmission line; AEP and MidAmerican contract for Texas transmission projects; Alliant contracts Open Systems International for volt-VAR control system; Alstom buys into AWS Ocean Energy; Siemens acquires shares in PV manufacturer Semprius; Lockheed Martin introduces cyber security system; plus contracts and announcements involving Elster, Itron, Suzlon, Solon, Sensus, Westinghouse Electric, Morgan Lewis and others.

Vendor Neutral

(July 2011) Williams Partners L.P. expands Transco transmission lines; Google to provide fiber optic Internet service for Kansas City, Mo.; Constellation Energy picks Lynxspring Inc.; plus contracts and developments involving Servidyne, EnerNOC, Siemens Energy and others.

What Happened in Texas

Evaluating smart meters and public backlash.

After ratepayers brought a class-action lawsuit against distribution utilities, Texas regulators commissioned a study of the state’s new smart meters. The study explains why customers reacted the way they did, and offers insights into how the industry can avoid a Texas-style backlash.

Tres Amigas Tie Up

Synchronizing networks to bring green power to market.

In order to fully integrate wind and other dispersed sources of energy into the system, America’s patchwork transmission networks need to be more closely interconnected and synchronized. An advocate for the Tres Amigas merchant transmission project explains how the proposed facility will integrate the grid.

Grid, Heal Thyself

Automation technologies promise a reliability revolution.

Utilities are using automation and back-office systems to improve their performance on outage management and service restoration. The next generation of smart-grid technologies promises a revolution in self-healing systems. But first the industry must gain confidence in the technology—and the business case for investment.