New transmission line project could cut through Bandera County

Community invited to community meeting in Medina

Residents in Bandera County are raising concerns over a proposed 370-mile high-voltage transmission line that could run through the western portion of the county, part of a major infrastructure project designed to strengthen Texas’ electric grid.

The project, known as the Howard-Solstice 765 kV Transmission Line, is a joint effort between CPS Energy and AEP Texas. The line would connect the CPS Energy Howard Road Station in southwest San Antonio to the AEP Texas Solstice Station near Fort Stockton in Pecos County.

According to CPS Energy, the project is intended “to increase the resiliency and reliability of Texas’ electric grid by adding another electric transmission pathway between generation resources and the accelerating load growth in the Permian Basin Region of Texas.”

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) endorsed the plan, called the Permian Basin Reliability Project, as critical to the reliability of the state’s system in July 2024.

On April 24, the Public Utility Commission of Texas approved the 765 kV transmission option, setting the project on track for regulatory review.

While final routes have not been selected, some of the proposed corridors cross Bandera County in areas including Vanderpool, Utopia, Tarpley and Medina.

Landowners recently received letters notifying them of the potential impact.

“We were informed just two weeks ago that one of the suggested routes would run directly through western Bandera County,” said Susan Tracey, a Medina resident who is helping organize a public meeting. “The deadline for submitting comments and concerns is September 3, so the community has very little time to respond.”

To address those concerns, the Medina Community Library will host an open meeting on Monday, August 25, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. A short presentation will begin at 6 p.m., followed by time for questions and discussion.

“This is a transmission line of massive scale,” Tracey said. “It affects all of us—environmentally, ecologically, aesthetically, and economically. We need to speak out now, individually and as a united group.”

CPS Energy and AEP Texas are collecting public feedback before submitting a formal application to the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which is expected in February 2026.

The utilities said they will evaluate alternative routes based on community values, environmental integrity, engineering feasibility, cost and other regulatory factors.

“The project team will evaluate all project information, including public input received,” CPS Energy stated in its project overview. “Potential transmission line routes will be identified based on consideration of community values, recreational and park areas, historical and aesthetic values, environmental integrity, engineering, design, construction, operations and maintenance, and estimated cost.”

Michael Harris, lead outreach specialist for AEP Texas, emphasized that landowners will be kept informed.

“All landowners who are crossed by a potential transmission line route, or who own a habitable structure within 500 feet of the centerline, will be mailed a notice,” Harris said. “We encourage interested landowners to participate in the process.”

Construction is not scheduled to begin until fall 2028, but residents say the impact of the line is already weighing heavily.

Concerns include property values, tree and vegetation removal, effects on wildlife and viewshed, and the use of eminent domain.

According to CPS Energy, “eminent domain authority is available … to acquire private property rights for public use. However, it is used as a last resort.”

Bandera residents who attended a recent open house hosted by the energy companies in Uvalde plan to share information at the Medina meeting. Organizers will provide printed resources, contact information, and guidance on submitting comments.

Tracey said the gathering is meant to encourage participation in the regulatory process before the Sept. 3 deadline.

“We need to make our voices heard,” she said. “Once the application is filed, it becomes much harder to stop.”

Community members can submit comments directly to CPS Energy and AEP Texas or through the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

Officials also encouraged residents to share opinions with state and federal representatives.

More info about the project can be found at https:// www.cpsenergy.com/en/ about-us/new-infrastructure/ howard-solstice-transmission. html.