CPS Energy and AEP Texas received approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas to build the Howard to Solstice 765 kV Transmission Line, a new extra-high-voltage line connecting CPS Energy’s Howard Road Station in Bexar County to AEP Texas’s Solstice Station in Pecos County. The joint application, filed March 2, 2026 under PUC Docket No. 59336, considered 77 alternative routes made up of 268 segments across 14 Central and West Texas counties, with route lengths ranging from roughly 335 to 393 miles.
CPS Energy and AEP Texas identified Route 4 as their preferred route, and PUCT staff recommended that same route. On July 27, 2026, the administrative law judges at the State Office of Administrative Hearings also recommended Route 4. The Commission ultimately approved a modified alignment, Route 4 Modification 1, at its September 11, 2026 open meeting, and issued the Final Order on September 18, 2026.
This case drew significant landowner participation, with hundreds of property owners protesting or intervening in the proceeding. The project is expected to affect approximately 700 parcels, with right-of-way activity anticipated from summer 2026 through fall 2028. With the route now approved, landowners along Route 4 Modification 1 may see survey, appraisal and easement-acquisition activity move forward.
With the project and route approved, CPS Energy and AEP Texas may seek to acquire the necessary easements and may pursue condemnation if a voluntary agreement cannot be reached. Texas law requires just compensation, but landowners also have the right to negotiate easement terms and challenge an offer that does not reflect the true impact on their property.
Landowner and attorney Dan Gattis understands what it means when a project like this crosses your family’s land. He can help you understand what the PUCT’s approval of Route 4 Modification 1 means for your property and how to protect your rights as right-of-way and easement activity moves forward.
Howard to Solstice 765kV FAQs
An approved 765 kV, extra-high-voltage transmission line connecting CPS Energy’s Howard Road Station in Bexar County to AEP Texas’s Solstice Station in Pecos County, filed jointly by CPS Energy and AEP Texas under PUC Docket No. 59336.
CPS Energy and AEP Texas are the joint applicants. They will each be responsible for constructing and operating their respective portions of the approved line.
The application considered routes across 14 counties between the San Antonio area and west of Fort Stockton. The approved Route 4 Modification 1 runs through or near Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Crockett, Edwards, Kerr, Kinney, Medina, Pecos, Real, Sutton, Terrell, Uvalde and Val Verde Counties.
Yes. The PUCT approved Route 4 Modification 1 at its September 11, 2026 open meeting, and the Final Order was issued September 18, 2026.
The PUCT issued its Final Order on September 18, 2026, approving Route 4 Modification 1.
Yes. With the project and route approved, CPS Energy and AEP Texas may seek to acquire the necessary easements and may pursue condemnation if a voluntary agreement cannot be reached. Texas law requires that landowners receive just compensation.
Before signing a survey permission form, option, easement agreement or other document, consider having an experienced eminent domain attorney review it. Contact Dan Gattis for a free consultation, no strings attached, to understand what you received and what it could mean for your property.
