8/2/2007 -- A Medina Lake to CPS Line route was approved by the Public Utility Commission on July 20, 2007.  The Co-op recently received the following update on LCRA’s proposed 138 kV transmission line to be built from BEC’s Medina Lake substation to the CPS Energy transmission system.  This transmission line is needed to improve the reliability in the Medina Lake area. 

Route 14 of the Medina Lake - CPS Project, which was the route recommended by the ALJ in the Proposal for Decision, was approved by a 2-1 vote today [7/20/2007], with Commissioner Smitherman dissenting.  Route 2 was LCRA TSC's preferred route, which was the least costly of the alternatives and approximately $1.36 million less to construct than Route 14.  Commissioner Smitherman stated that cost has been a significant factor in deciding other CCN cases, thus his vote against Route 14.  Commissioners Hudson and Parsley approved of the ALJ's Proposal for Decision as written, noting its lesser environmental impacts and length of ROW paralleled.  The Commissioners briefly discussed Route 11, which combined portions of both routes 2 and 14.  However, after a review of habitable structure counts, cost, ROW paralleled, and length for routes 2, 11, and 14, Route 11 was dismissed from further consideration.  Except for an approximate 3,500 feet that crosses through open country (near the Bandera/Medina County line), the entire route parallels FM 1283.

Medina Lake to CPS Project section on the LCRA web site.

Also, additional information is below:

02/22/2006 - Recently, some landowners in the Medina Lake area may have received a letter from the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and CPS Energy concerning the construction of a new transmission line and related electrical equipment in the Medina Lake area. It involves the construction of a new 138 kilovolt (kV) line and two substations, one in CPS Energy’s territory and another in Bandera Electric Cooperative’s (BEC) service area. The project is called “Medina Lake to CPS.”

BEC supports the construction of this joint LCRA and CPS Energy project. “The new transmission line and equipment proposed in the Medina Lake to CPS project will increase BEC’s reliability for existing members and support the growth in the area,” said Arlen Williams, BEC Operations Manager.

LCRA will be building the section of line in the BEC territory. The project is driven in large part by BEC’s needs:

• BEC needs a second transmission line to the Medina Lake substation for additional reliability. In August 2004, lightning destroyed a piece of transmission equipment on the only transmission line presently feeding the Medina Lake substation.  It took over 19 hours to restore electric service to several thousand of BEC’s members in the area.  
• BEC’s existing single transmission line will become overloaded. The new line will allow BEC to continue to support the steadily increasing load in the Medina Lake area. Engineering projections indicate the existing transmission line will become overloaded in the next few years as the area continues to grow.
• BEC needs a new substation closer to Mico. The Mico area is experiencing significant growth. BEC needs a substation that is more central to this load growth area than the current Medina Lake substation.

Get additional information at:

Medina Lake to CPS Project section on the LCRA web site.