The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved the Howard-to-Solstice 765-kilovolt transmission line with route modifications, advancing a major part of the Permian Basin Reliability Plan after months of opposition from landowners and elected officials.
The project, proposed by AEP Texas and CPS Energy, is planned to cross Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Crockett, Edwards, Kerr, Kinney, Medina, Pecos, Real, Sutton, Terrell, Uvalde and Val Verde counties. Commissioners shifted the route north of Uvalde rather than south. According to a memorandum from Commissioner Courtney Hjaltman cited by Texas Scorecard, that change would place about 23.6 additional miles alongside existing transmission rights of way and reduce effects on some woodland and wetland areas.
The same modification would affect 15 additional habitable structures and about 1.5 more miles of cropland. Hjaltman supported language giving the utilities flexibility to work with consenting landowners to reduce property impacts.
The approved route retains Link 238, which connects the line to property associated with businessman Sun Guangxin. Critics have alleged that Sun has ties to Chinese national interests and the Chinese Communist Party; his businesses deny those claims. PUCT Chairman Thomas Gleeson proposed a formal finding that the approved route does not violate the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act, a 2021 law restricting certain foreign access to Texas critical infrastructure.
Commissioners also retained Link 165 across the Pecos River despite questions about the difficulty of the crossing. An AEP Texas executive testified that the company has the engineering experience to complete the span and would work with affected landowners.
Howard-to-Solstice is the southern segment of the STEP-Permian expansion, which calls for three 765-kV pathways totaling more than 1,200 miles. Texas Scorecard reported that the Texas Public Policy Foundation estimates the lifetime cost of all STEP projects approved by ERCOT through December 2025 at nearly $100 billion, ultimately borne by ratepayers. That figure is the organization’s estimate, not a final project invoice.
The commission separately sent part of the central pathway back for additional administrative review, delaying a final decision on those segments. Approval of the southern route is significant because it commits the state to a consequential infrastructure course involving grid reliability, property rights, environmental tradeoffs, foreign-influence safeguards and long-term ratepayer costs.