CREZ stands for competitive renewable energy zones. A CREZ is an area where wind generation facilities will be installed throughout West Texas and the Panhandle and from which transmission facilities will be built to various other areas of the state to deliver mostly renewable power to end-use consumers in the most beneficial and cost-effective manner.

LCRA Transmission Services Corporation (LCRA TSC) is one of several transmission service providers, which have been formally ordered by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) to construct the new transmission lines that will be required to connect the CREZs to the load centers throughout the state. The PUC made a decision in January 2009 (Final Order issued in March 2009) as to which entities will build which transmission facilities. A few projects, termed default projects, were previously assigned to current owners to start implementing soon.

LCRA TSC has been ordered by the PUC to build, own, and operate about 600 miles of new and existing transmission lines and facilities, which, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), represents about $795 million of the $4.9 billion project.

The overall CREZ effort will approximately triple Texas’ current level of wind generation capacity to 18,456 MW. The transmission lines that will connect the CREZs to the load centers will increase reliability of the ERCOT grid and increase the transfer of wind and other power into various parts of the state.

The project is a natural fit for LCRA’s public service mission and commitment to provide reliable, low-cost power to the people of Texas.