Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC recently filed with the Public Utility Commission of Texas a unanimous stipulation and settlement agreement that calls for the approval of the proposed Kyle Ranch-To-Quarry Field 138-kV Transmission Line in Loving County.
As noted in the filing, the stipulation involves Oncor; commission staff; as well as Delaware Basin Midstream, LLC, Delaware Basin JV Gathering LLC, DBM Water Services, LLC, DBM Oil Services, LLC, and APC Water Holdings 1, LLC (collectively referred to as DBM).
According to the filing, Oncor in February filed an application to amend its certificate of convenience and necessity (CCN) for the proposed line to interconnect the Kyle Ranch substation and the Quarry Field switch station. The project is a component of the Far West Texas Project 2 recommended by the ERCOT Regional Planning Group (RPG).
The filing added that while conducting power flow studies as part of the ERCOT RPG process, ERCOT found voltage violations under NERC Standard TPL-001-4 reliability criteria. ERCOT’s recommended solution to address those reliability issues contemplated the construction of a 138-kV loop between Oncor’s existing Riverton switch station, Oncor’s Kyle Ranch substation, and Oncor’s Quarry Field switch station. The filing added that ERCOT’s recommended solution assumed that the proposed project would be in service to serve new loads.
The route proposed in the application is a modified version of the route previously approved by the commission in a separate docket, the filing said, noting that the Modified Agreed Route was developed in coordination with affected landowners, with all landowners affected by the route having consented to the modifications.
The total length of the right of way (ROW) for the Modified Agreed Route is about 11.3 miles. The filing also noted that Oncor’s application states that the transmission line facilities built on the Modified Agreed Route are estimated to cost about $17.2m; there are no costs associated with substation facilities for the proposed transmission line because the construction costs of the Kyle Ranch substation and Quarry Field station were included in separate dockets.
The filing noted that under the agreement, the signatories stipulate that the project is necessary for the service, accommodation, convenience, and safety of the public. In addition, the signatories agree that, except for certain paralleling, Oncor’s transmission line and any associated facilities, including poles, subject to the CCN application would be built at least 100 feet away from the centerline of DBM’s pipelines with respect to locations where the proposed line parallels, but does not cross DBM’s pipelines.
A proposed order included in the filing calls for Oncor to, for instance, use best management practices to minimize the potential harm to migratory birds and threatened or endangered species that is presented by the approved route.
