The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) has approved Entergy Texas to develop the $1.4 billion Southeast Texas Area Reliability Project (SETEX), a 145-mile, 500-kV transmission line aimed at strengthening reliability in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region. Operating outside the ERCOT grid, Entergy Texas seeks to enhance power delivery and support Southeast Texas’ economic growth. The project includes two new substations—the Babel Switching Station in Newton County and the Running Bear Substation in Montgomery County—and will span eight counties, crossing Lake Livingston, a key point of prior debate.
MISO identified SETEX as critical to meeting North American Electric Reliability Corp. standards and ensuring cost-effective service as regional demand increases. The PUCT also awarded $381 million in grants through the Texas Energy Fund’s Outside ERCOT Grant Program, with Entergy potentially receiving about $200 million to support SETEX and other infrastructure upgrades. The program, often overshadowed by ERCOT-focused initiatives, “is just as important,” said PUCT Chairman Thomas Gleeson. Commissioner Kathleen Jackson emphasized that the grants are not final and will require execution agreements between the commission and utilities.
Entergy could receive more than half of the approved awards, and the utility said the funding will help implement upgrades across its electrical system to improve resilience and reliability—reducing both outage frequency and duration after extreme events. More than 9,000 structures and approximately 400 line-miles of transmission and distribution will be hardened against risks from hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural hazards.
The SETEX approval follows roughly $4 billion in Entergy investments authorized by Texas regulators in the past month, including two new gas plants valued at $2.4 billion. “Growth in Southeast Texas is creating incredible opportunities for the communities we serve, and it’s our responsibility to ensure we build a resilient power grid that supports long-term economic expansion and future energy needs,” said Entergy Texas CEO Eliecer Viamontes.
Source: utilitydive.com