Utility commission approves a 765 kilovolt line from Somervell County to Howard County
The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved an amendment to Oncor's certificate of convenience and necessity for a new 765 kilovolt transmission line. The company's own project page records the decision as approved on August 28th, 2026. The line runs from a proposed switch about 3 miles north of Glen Rose in Somervell County to an existing switch about 4.5 miles west of Forsan in Howard County. Oncor filed the application on February 19th, 2026 under Docket No. 59315. It states the route will run approximately 235 to 270 miles depending on the route chosen, and is planned for completion in 2029. It is a voltage class new to the Texas grid.
How to take part
The docket is decided. The commission's filing system carries the record under control number 59315, and the company publishes a project page describing the route and the decision.
Where
2 counties. In Big Spring. Also in Somervell, which is in no metropolitan or micropolitan area.
Timeline
- filed
Oncor filed the application
- decided
The company's project page records the approval
- Today
How this decision moved
One dated line per check, oldest first. A line that says nothing changed means somebody looked and it had not.
- 2026-08-30
Admitted to the record. The company's own project page carries the approval and the route between the two named counties.
- 2026-09-02
The line is still carried among the approved projects on the utility's own list of current transmission line projects.
- 2026-09-05
The approved 765 kilovolt line from Somervell County to Howard County still stands as certificated and its route is unchanged.
- 2026-09-08
The approved 765 kilovolt line from Somervell County to Howard County still stands as ordered, and the route has not been reopened.
- 2026-09-09
The 765 kilovolt line from Somervell County to Howard County is still approved, and the utility's own project page still describes it as it did.
- 2026-09-12
The 765 kilovolt line from Somervell County to Howard County is still approved, and the utility's own project page still describes the route as it did.
- 2026-09-13
The line from Somervell County to Howard County is still approved. The utility's project page still carries the same route description and the same decision date.
- 2026-09-16
The approved line from Somervell County to Howard County is still approved, and the utility's own project page still describes it the same way. No rehearing has been granted.
- 2026-09-19
The approval stands and the commission has taken nothing further on the route.
- 2026-09-23
The approved route from Somervell County to Howard County is unchanged, and the company's own project page still records the approval.
- 2026-09-26
The approval stands, and Oncor's own project page now plans the line for completion in 2029. The same page said 2028 when this line was admitted. Nothing on the page says why the year moved.
- 2026-09-29
Oncor's project page still describes the approved line from Somervell County to Howard County, with its planned completion unchanged since the last reading.
- 2026-10-02
The commission's approval of the line is unconfirmed this run. Oncor's project page did not answer and the order was not re-read.
- 2026-10-03
The commission's approval of the line is still unconfirmed. Oncor's project page did not answer again and the order was not re-read.
- 2026-10-04
The commission's approval of the line is still unconfirmed. Oncor's project page did not answer again and the order was not re-read.
- 2026-10-05
The commission's own order on Docket No. 59315 still amends Oncor's certificate for the line. A groundwater district and two landowner groups have since asked the commission to rehear it.
- 2026-10-08
The two commission filings in the docket and the Tribune's account still read as before. Oncor's own project page is unconfirmed because it bars automated readers.
- 2026-10-11
Both commission filings still carry the approved route from Somervell County to Howard County. Oncor's project page stays out of reach.
- 2026-10-15
Both commission filings still carry the approved route from Somervell County to Howard County. Oncor's project page is unconfirmed.
- 2026-10-18
The commission filing and the Tribune's account still carry the approved route from Somervell County to Howard County. Oncor's project page is unconfirmed.
The evidence
Every fact above rests on one of these. The words are the source's own.
PUC Decision – Approved on August 28, 2026.https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/about-us/transmissio Primary source, the company · oncor.com
it proposes to construct a new 765 kilovolt (kV) transmission line from Oncor's proposed Dinosaur Switch, located approximately 3 miles north of the City of Glen Rose in Somervell County, to Oncor's existing Longshore Switch located approximately 4.5 miles west of the City of Forsan in Howard County, Texas (Project).https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/about-us/transmissio Primary source, the company · oncor.com
The proposed transmission line project will be approximately 235-270 miles long depending on the route if approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (“PUCT”). The Proposed Transmission Line Project is currently planned for completion in 2029.https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/about-us/transmissio Primary source, the company · oncor.com
On February 19, 2026 Oncor filed an Application at the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) under Docket No. 59315 to construct and operate the proposed project.https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/about-us/transmissio Primary source, the company · oncor.com
the Public Utility Commission of Texas has authorized the buildout of more than 400 miles of transmission lines to deliver electricity to the power-starved oil and gas and industrial manufacturing industries.https://www.texastribune.org/2026/08/28/transmission-lines-texas-energ Journalism · texastribune.org
The Commission adopts the proposal for decision in part and rejects it in part, including findings of fact and conclusions of law, and amends Oncor's CCN number 30043 to include the construction and operation of the proposed transmission facilitieshttps://interchange.puc.texas.gov/Documents/59315_5819_1678289.PDF Primary source, official · interchange.puc.texas.gov
The Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (the "District") files this Motion for Rehearinghttps://interchange.puc.texas.gov/Documents/59315_5840_1685751.PDF Primary source, official · interchange.puc.texas.gov
Questions about this decision
Answered from the record itself. Every answer is assembled from stored fields, so an answer the record has no basis for is left out rather than guessed.
What is this decision?
The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved an amendment to Oncor's certificate of convenience and necessity for a new 765 kilovolt transmission line. The company's own project page records the decision as approved on August 28th, 2026. The line runs from a proposed switch about 3 miles north of Glen Rose in Somervell County to an existing switch about 4.5 miles west of Forsan in Howard County. Oncor filed the application on February 19th, 2026 under Docket No. 59315. It states the route will run approximately 235 to 270 miles depending on the route chosen, and is planned for completion in 2029. It is a voltage class new to the Texas grid.
Who decides it?
Public Utility Commission of Texas decides. The record names the deciding body for every entry it carries.
Can the public take part?
The docket is decided. The commission's filing system carries the record under control number 59315, and the company publishes a project page describing the route and the decision.
Where in Texas does it apply?
It covers Howard and Somervell Counties.
Has it been decided?
It has been decided. The dates on the item page carry when.
What happens next?
No future date is on the record. The last dated step on it was decided on August 28th.
When did it start?
The earliest date on its record is February 19th, 2026.
What kind of decision is it?
It is filed under power and the grid.
What sources back it?
Four sources back it. Three of them are primary.
Is it on the ERCOT grid?
Yes. It sits inside the ERCOT interconnection.
When was it last checked?
Every fact on it was last verified against its source on October 18th, 2026.
Cite this
Texas AI Docket, Utility commission approves a 765 kilovolt line from Somervell County to Howard County. Tracked since February 19th, 2026. Last verified October 18th, 2026. https://texasaidocket.com/item/tx-2026-0112/. Reuse permitted under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. The same entry is in the docket JSON as item tx-2026-0112.
Beat
Filed under Power and the grid, with every other decision on that beat.