Texas is moving from planning a major expansion of its electric transmission system to deciding where the first wave of new lines will cross private property. For landowners in Central and West Texas, these are not isolated projects. They are parts of a broader system intended to move more electricity into and across the Permian Basin.
That distinction matters because several major cases are moving through the Public Utility Commission of Texas at the same time, often on compressed schedules. A decision in one proceeding can also provide context for the projects around it.
This Is One System, Not Isolated Projects
The current filings are part of a larger transmission buildout tied to the Permian Basin Reliability Plan. The PUCT approved the plan in October 2024 and later approved major import paths intended to support the region’s growing electricity needs.
Several of the 765-kV lines now before the Commission are grouped within the first phase of the Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan. Other projects, including Howard to Solstice, arise from the same overall reliability effort. Together, they form a connected network rather than a collection of unrelated local lines.
For landowners, the practical issue is still property-specific: whether an approved route crosses or comes near their land. But understanding the larger system helps explain why so many proceedings are moving forward at once.
Why the Current Phase Matters
Each project discussed below is or recently has been in a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity proceeding. During that process, utilities submit possible routes, notify affected landowners and present evidence supporting the project. Contested cases may be referred to the State Office of Administrative Hearings before the Commission approves the route that may be built.
The central question at this stage is where the line will go. Final easement acquisition and compensation generally follow route approval, although landowners may receive survey requests, notices or other preliminary contacts before the Commission issues its decision.
Texas law now generally requires the PUCT to approve or deny a new transmission-line CCN application within 180 days of filing. That timetable has placed these large, complicated cases on an unusually compressed schedule.
Howard to Solstice Transmission Line
The Howard to Solstice 765-kV Single-Circuit Transmission Line would connect CPS Energy’s Howard Road Station in Bexar County with AEP Texas’s Solstice Station in Pecos County. CPS Energy and AEP Texas filed the joint application on March 2, 2026, under PUC Docket No. 59336.
The project would extend approximately 370 miles between AEP Texas’s Solstice Substation near Fort Stockton and CPS Energy’s Howard Road Station southwest of San Antonio. Current project information identifies a corridor through Atascosa, Crockett, Kinney, Medina, Pecos, Terrell, Uvalde and Val Verde Counties and estimates that roughly 700 parcels may be affected.
On July 27, 2026, the administrative law judges at the State Office of Administrative Hearings recommended Route 4 in their Proposal for Decision. That recommendation is an important step, but it is not the final route. The PUCT may adopt, modify or reject it when the Commission issues its Final Order, currently anticipated in August 2026.
Project materials anticipate right-of-way work beginning in summer 2026 and continuing through fall 2028, with construction expected in fall 2028. For landowners along Route 4, the immediate concern is preparing for what may follow if the Commission adopts the SOAH recommendation. Landowners along other proposed routes should continue to monitor the case until the Final Order is issued.
Bell County East to Big Hill
Oncor Electric Delivery Company and LCRA Transmission Services Corporation filed the Bell County East Switch to Big Hill Substation 765-kV Transmission Line application on March 26, 2026, under PUC Docket No. 59475.
Current project information describes an approximately 200-mile line crossing Bell, Burnet, McCulloch, Menard, Mills, San Saba and Schleicher Counties. The utilities estimate that roughly 500 parcels may be affected, with right-of-way work expected from late 2026 through late 2028 and construction currently anticipated in mid-2028.
Oncor and LCRA TSC have identified Route 894 as their selected route. That selection remains subject to final PUCT approval, and the Commission may approve a different route when it issues its Final Order, currently anticipated in September 2026.
Landowners whose property lies along Route 894 should begin preparing for possible right-of-way contact and easement discussions if the Commission approves it. Those along alternative routes should continue to monitor the case until the Final Order confirms where the line may be built.
Big Hill to Sand Lake
The Big Hill Substation to Sand Lake Switch 765-kV Transmission Line is a joint Oncor and LCRA TSC project filed on January 15, 2026, under PUC Docket No. 59182. It is one of the more advanced cases in this group.
Current project information describes an approximately 177-mile line crossing Crane, Irion, Reagan, Schleicher, Upton and Ward Counties. The utilities estimate that roughly 500 parcels may be affected, with right-of-way work expected from early 2027 through late 2029 and construction currently anticipated in late 2029.
On June 10, 2026, the SOAH administrative law judges recommended Route 228 in their Proposal for Decision. The PUCT must still issue the controlling decision and may adopt, modify or reject that recommendation. A Final Order had been anticipated in July 2026, and the project is expected to be in service by the end of 2030.
Longshore Switch to Drill Hole
Oncor filed the Longshore Switch to Drill Hole 765-kV Transmission Line application on December 11, 2025, under PUC Docket No. 59029. Current project information describes an approximately 160-mile line crossing Ector, Howard, Loving, Martin, Reeves and Winkler Counties and estimates that roughly 225 parcels may be affected.
On May 12, 2026, the SOAH administrative law judges recommended Route 476 in their Proposal for Decision. Oncor’s current schedule lists project completion in 2029, with right-of-way work expected to begin in summer 2026.
The SOAH recommendation does not make Route 476 final. Until the Commission issues its order, landowners along the recommended route and the alternatives should continue to monitor the docket and understand what the next stage could mean for their property.
Dinosaur to Longshore
The Dinosaur to Longshore 765-kV Transmission Line has generated some of the most visible opposition among the current projects. Oncor filed the application on February 19, 2026, under PUC Docket No. 59315. Current project information describes a line of approximately 235 to 270 miles and estimates that roughly 550 parcels may be affected.
On July 24, 2026, the SOAH administrative law judges recommended Route 559 in their Proposal for Decision. The case remains before the PUCT, and the Commission may adopt, modify or reject that recommendation when it issues its Final Order, currently anticipated in August 2026. Oncor currently plans to complete the project in late 2029.
The proposed corridor includes Brown, Callahan, Coleman, Comanche, Glasscock, Howard, Martin and Midland Counties. Opposition has focused on private-property impacts and the proximity of some proposed routes to sensitive areas. Landowners along Route 559 should begin preparing for what may follow if the Commission adopts the recommendation, while owners along alternative routes should continue to monitor the proceeding.
El Capitan to Dry Lake 345-kV Transmission Line
The El Capitan to Dry Lake project is a proposed double-circuit 345-kV line connecting Oncor’s planned El Capitan Switch in Culberson County to its proposed Dry Lake Switch in Reeves County. Oncor filed the approximately 25-mile project on February 26, 2026, under PUC Docket No. 59353. Current information estimates that roughly 100 parcels may be affected.
On July 15, 2026, the SOAH administrative law judges recommended Route 89 in their Proposal for Decision. The recommendation is not final, and the PUCT may approve a different route when it issues its Final Order, currently anticipated in August 2026. The project is expected to be completed in fall 2028.
Right-of-way activity is expected to begin in fall 2026. Landowners along Route 89 may receive survey or other preliminary contacts before the Commission acts, but those contacts do not change the fact that the route remains subject to final PUCT approval.
Dry Lake to Faulkner 345-kV Transmission Line
Oncor and Texas-New Mexico Power Company filed the Dry Lake to Faulkner 345-kV Transmission Line application on March 24, 2026, under PUC Docket No. 59487. The proposed double-circuit line would run approximately 24 miles within Reeves County, connecting Oncor’s planned Dry Lake Switch with TNMP’s proposed Faulkner Substation. Current information estimates that roughly 100 parcels may be affected.
Oncor and TNMP have identified Route 75 as their selected route. That selection remains subject to final PUCT approval, and the Commission may approve a different route when it issues its Final Order, currently anticipated in September 2026. The project is expected to be completed in fall 2028.
Right-of-way activity is expected to begin in late 2026. Landowners along Route 75 should prepare for possible survey and acquisition contacts while continuing to recognize that the Commission has not yet issued the final route decision.
The Pattern Across These Projects
The most important distinction is among a utility-selected route, a route recommended by SOAH and a route approved by the PUCT. A utility may identify the route it supports, and the administrative law judges may recommend a route in a Proposal for Decision. Neither controls until the Commission issues its Final Order.
Once the PUCT approves a route, the opportunity to influence where the line will go is largely over. The focus then shifts toward survey access, easement terms, valuation and compensation. That is why it matters to understand a project’s status as soon as notice arrives.
Current Status Snapshot
Howard to Solstice: SOAH recommended Route 4 on July 27, 2026; Final Order anticipated in August 2026.
Bell County East to Big Hill: Oncor and LCRA TSC selected Route 894, subject to final PUCT approval; Final Order anticipated in September 2026.
Big Hill to Sand Lake: SOAH recommended Route 228 on June 10, 2026; a Commission decision had been anticipated in July 2026.
Longshore to Drill Hole: SOAH recommended Route 476 on May 12, 2026; the project is planned for completion in 2029.
Dinosaur to Longshore: SOAH recommended Route 559 on July 24, 2026; Final Order anticipated in August 2026.
El Capitan to Dry Lake: SOAH recommended Route 89 on July 15, 2026; Final Order anticipated in August 2026.
Dry Lake to Faulkner: Oncor and TNMP selected Route 75, subject to final PUCT approval; Final Order anticipated in September 2026.
What Landowners Need to Know
Landowners may be contacted at different points in the process. A notice about a proposed route is not the same as an offer to purchase an easement. A survey request is not the same as an easement agreement. Each document should be evaluated based on what it actually authorizes.
If the PUCT approves a route across your property, the utility may seek to acquire an easement voluntarily. If an agreement cannot be reached, a utility with eminent-domain authority may pursue condemnation. Texas law requires just compensation, but compensation is only one part of an easement agreement. Width, access, construction practices, restoration, drainage, gates, future use and other terms may also affect the property for years.
Before signing a survey permission form, option, easement agreement or other document, consider having an experienced eminent-domain attorney review it. Early advice can help a landowner understand which decisions are urgent and which issues may still be negotiated.
Learn More About Your Rights
How Gattis Law Can Help
Gattis Law represents Texas landowners facing transmission lines, pipelines, and other projects involving eminent domain. The firm helps property owners understand notices and survey requests, evaluate proposed easements, assess compensation, and protect their interests if condemnation proceedings begin.
Dan Gattis is both an attorney and a landowner. He understands that these projects affect more than acreage on a map—they can affect access, operations, family plans, and the long-term use and value of the land.
The Future of Texas Transmission
Texas’s transmission expansion is no longer only a long-range plan. SOAH has now recommended routes in five of these major cases, and the utilities have identified selected routes in two others. Final Commission decisions expected during the summer and fall of 2026 will determine where hundreds of miles of new lines may be built.
More projects are likely to follow. Landowners who understand the difference between a proposed route, a utility-selected route, a SOAH-recommended route and a PUCT-approved route will be better prepared to protect their rights at each stage.
Contact the Gattis Law Firm
If you receive notice that your property may be affected by one of these transmission projects, do not wait until the route and easement terms are settled. Contact Gattis Law for a free, no-obligation consultation to understand where the case stands and what options remain available to you.
