The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) unanimously voted to approve the buildout of more than 400 miles of massive 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines, overruling fierce opposition from local landowners, administrative judges, and top state officials.
The decision pushes forward the first phases of the multi-billion dollar Permian Basin Reliability Plan, a project intended to move large loads of electricity to the power-starved oil, gas, and data center industries in West Texas. However, critics argue the approval process bypassed standard legislative oversight and ignored the property rights of rural Texans.
The PUCT vote went directly against a formal recommendation from a panel of state administrative law judges. The judges ruled that the utilities failed to prove the lines were necessary and did not provide ade- legal notice to affected property owners.
The approved lines are the largest ever built in Texas, standing up to 19 stories tall (160 feet). They require a 200-foot-wide right-ofway, threatening to bisect and devalue working family farms and ranches through eminent domain.
More than 30 state legislators requested a pause on the projects until the 2027 legislative session. Additionally, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an amicus brief supporting landowner groups, arguing the PUCT lacked explicit legislative authorization for a 765-kV buildout.
“Here, the Commission has approved a plan that appears to reach beyond the legislature’s clear direction,” the brief read. “The legislature must be afforded the time to review the plan and its potential impacts so it can then enact additional legislation to provide whatever additional guidance it deems fit.”
PUCT Chair Thomas Gleeson and Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) officials defended the fasttracked approval. They warned that stalling the projects would lead to catastrophic rolling blackouts in West Texas due to an overloaded electrical grid.
While the PUCT directed the utility company Oncor to work with landowners to find the “least disruptive” paths, grassroots coalitions and landowner advocacy groups are preparing for legal challenges in state courts to block construction.
Landowner complaints of not being “meaningfully included” in the process have helped elevate this project to the attention of state officials. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and members of the state House and Senate called for PUCT to deny all pending 765-kV projects until the legislature can reform the approval process in 2027.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation estimates the lifetime cost of all STEP projects ERCOT approved through December 2025 at nearly $100 billion. The foundation’s Dr. Brent Bennett has advocated that the solution to Permian Basin energy demand is for lawmakers to reform the electricity market.