Gov. Greg Abbott has announced a Texas Energy Fund grant totaling more than $8 million to strengthen electric reliability for members of the Bailey County Electric Cooperative Association in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains, according to an Aug. 5 news release from the governor’s office.
The funding flows through the Texas Energy Fund’s Outside ERCOT Grant Program, which the Public Utility Commission of Texas administers to support projects that improve electric reliability and resiliency for Texans served by utilities outside the ERCOT region, the release said. The projects will benefit customers across the cooperative’s service territory, which includes portions of Bailey, Castro, Cochran, Lamb and Parmer counties.
The larger of the two funded projects will upgrade equipment on 2,000 poles to protect against high winds, a change the governor’s office said will prevent power lines from colliding and reduce outages. The second project upgraded roughly two miles of transmission line to boost reliability, cut outage restoration times and make repairs safer and more efficient, according to the release.
“Texas works to improve electric reliability and deliver affordable power to every corner of the state,” Abbott said in the release. “This grant provides critical funding for projects that will strengthen our electrical infrastructure and protect Texas families for generations to come.”
PUCT Chairman Thomas Gleeson said the grant program is designed to reach communities statewide. “This important reliability grant program is protecting Texans in every corner of our great state,” Gleeson said. “Every Texan needs to know we’re doing all we can to partner with local power providers to make their systems stronger, more resilient, and more reliable.”
The award adds to a series of Texas Energy Fund reliability grants announced in recent months for utilities and cooperatives in the Panhandle, South Plains and other regions outside ERCOT. More information on the Outside ERCOT Grant Program and other Texas Energy Fund initiatives is available on the PUCT’s website, the release noted.