Transmission line’s builders indicate preferred southern route through Medina County

By Linda Perkins

Anvil Herald reporter

Following adjournment of Medina County Commissioners Court Monday, March 9, County Judge Keith Lutz announced, “An application for a “preferred route for the (more than 300 mile) Howard to Solstice transmission line was filed with the Public Utility Commission (PUC).

In Medina County, Lutz said, “The recommended route runs south of Devine and hugs the Medina County line to Uvalde County. It then continues through other counties to Pecos County.”

However, he added, “Any of the submitted routes are still an option. Regardless, all will go through Medina County.”

On March 2, American Energy Power Company Inc. (AEP) Texas and the City of San Antonio, acting by and through the City Public Service (CPS) Board, filed a joint application under Docket No. 59336, “to amend their Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN) with the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) for the Howard to Solstice 765kV Single-CircuitTransmission Line.”

According to the CCN, the line will cross 14 counties (in alphabetical order): Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Crockett, Edwards, Kerr, Kinney, Medina, Pecos, Real, Sutton, Terrell, Uvalde and Val Verde.

Depending on the route, miles of right-of-way range from 335.26 to 393.14 miles.

The joint application filed with PUC by AEP Texas and CPS indicates Alternate Route 4 is their preferred option. 

However, “The March 2 CCN application for the project includes 77 alternative route options comprised of 268 segments. All routes and segments are available for selection and approval by the PUC, which will make the final routing decision,” according to CPS Energy. 

Digital copies of the application and attachments are also available on the CPS website and PUC Interchange. The public can view a physical copy at the following locations:

• CPS Energy, 500 McCullough, San Antonio;

• Lytle Public Library, 19325 W FM 2790 South, Lytle;

• Uvalde City Hall, 101 E. Main St., Uvalde;

• Val Verde County Library, 300 Springs Rd., Del Rio: 

• Fort Stockton Public Library, 500 N. Water St., Fort Stockton.

Last November, Medina County Commissioners Court passed a resolution opposing the proposed routes for the powerline through Medina County (see “County Opposes Howard-Solstice construction, current proposed routes,” in the Nov. 20, 2025 issue of the Anvil Herald).

In a recent interview, County Judge Lutz said,“Nothing has changed from the resolution we passed unanimously.” 

Another concerned group is The Hill Country Preservation Coalition, a group of landowners and conservation organizations. 

According to information provided by Uvalde Leader-News Staff Writer Kaitlyn G. Alejandro in the March 9 issue, “the (Alternate 4) preferred route partially aligns with what the group calls the ‘Least Harmful Route.’

“The Coalition’s founder Jada Jo Smith commented, ‘No tranmission line is impact-free, but Alternate Route 4 represents a constructive starting point that reduces long-term risk to water resources, private property and rural communities, especially if additional work can be done to better align the western half with the Least Harmful Route.’”

“The Least Harmful Route,” continued Alejandro, “is a 370-mile alignment proposed by the Hill Country Preservation Coalition -- not AEP Texas or CPS Energy -- that would follow existing highway corridors from San Antonio to near Fort Stockton. The route does not appear among the alternatives under review in the current PUC application.”

At the state level, “Uvalde state Representatives Don McLaughlin and Senator Roland Gutierrez joined with state Senator Pete Flores and state representatives Wes Virdell and Eddie Morales Jr. in a letter to PUC Chairman Thomas J. Gleeson Jan. 26, requesting more time to review the project.

“They wrote, ‘The project crosses areas of porous karst geology – where construction could disrupt subsurface flows and springs within the Edwards Aquifer recharge and contributing zones.’” 

Furthermore, “‘the 765-kilovolt transmission line’s steel lattice structures, typically 140 to 160 feet tall, cross several river systems, including the Frio, Nueces, Sabinal, Medina, Devils and Lower Pecos rivers.’”

Another concern, warned the lawmakers, “‘is the project’s approximately 200-foot right-of-way which would require extensive vegetation clearing and soil disturbance, potentially increasing erosion and flash flood risks.’

The state officials also requested an extended review timeline beyond the 180-day period for grid reliability tests.

  CPS Energy said notice packages for this project have been mailed out to all directly affected Landowners.

“For those who wish to participate in this proceeding by becoming an intervenor, the deadline for intervention in the proceeding is April 01, 2026, and the PUC should receive an electronic filing or letter from you requesting intervention by that date. More information about the PUC’s filing process can be obtained at the commission’s website.

Local officials and residents may submit comments or file motions to intervene through PUC’s electronic interchange system.

For assistance with an electronic filing, please contact the PUC’s Help Desk at 512- 936-7100 or helpdesk@puc.texas.gov.

For project updates and more information, visit tinyurl.com/52sfp2jy.