If you’re like me, you wonder why Texas doesn’t bite the bullet and connect to the eastern and western electric grids. We are the energy capital of America. But no. Not going to happen. Federal regulators are not welcome here.
But there’s a workable alternative called the Southern Spirit Transmission, which I first reported about in January.
This month, a top ERCOT executive spoke publicly for the first time about the proposed 320-mile transmission line. The line would connect the Tex as electric grid with the major eastern U.S. grid by going through Louisiana and into Mississippi.
Once the non-profit Electric Reliability Council of Texas ties into the larger grid, electricity could flow either into Texas or out. We can sell excess energy going out, and in the event of a crisis, we could take electricity in.
This plan may satisfy the Texas thirst to keep an independent grid not regulated by federal authorities. The electricity would flow as direct current rather than the more popular alternating current. The feds signed off on the project in 2014.
The project, first proposed by Pattern Energy in 2014, took on more urgency after the 2021 ice storm.
Speaking to members of the historic 111-year-old Dallas Electric Club, Jeff Billo, director of ERCOT’s operation planning, said that grid operator doesn’t have an official position on the Southern Spirit. His job, he said, is not to promote the project but to provide accurate information.
After I heard Billo’s presentation, I received a follow-up note from ERCOT spokeswoman Trudi Webster that reiterated that “ERCOT is neither directing or collaborating with Pattern Energy to develop the project.”
Nor should it. Pattern is a private company. But if it were built, it would account for as much as 4% of ERCOT’s current peak resource needs.
Doesn’t sound like a lot, but in forever growing Texas every little bit helps.
3,400 new jobs
The project would cost $2.6 billion, create 3,400 jobs, mostly in construction, and provide Louisiana parishes millions of dollars in tax revenue, Pattern said.
Adam Renz, Pattern’s director of project development, said that “the project will create a valuable connection to diverse energy resources, enhance grid reliability during extreme weather events and provide low-cost clean energy to consumers.”
The project is running into major obstacles. Some Louisiana parishes are against it. They see the project as taking parts of their private property and erecting massive towers on their land. But none of the electricity flow would benefit Louisiana.
Pattern’s Renz said, “We’ve had strong support in Louisiana parishes. To date, over 150 landowners have written in to support the project. Nearly half the right-of-way has already been acquired for the project in Louisiana.”
Louisiana residents also fear eminent domain would be used against them to take private property for right-of-way.
The Louisiana Legislature passed a bill this year that could have killed the project. The new law would prohibit transmission projects from taking over the property of private landowners when a project doesn’t benefit Louisiana. Pattern officials say they are “evaluating the new law working to mitigate the impact.”
The construction timetable keeps getting pushed. In January, Pattern said on its website that construction could begin in 2026 and end in 2029. Now it says target startup is 2028 with a 2031 completion date. So far there has been no groundbreaking.
In a local angle, Garland Power & Light is part of the plan because the lines would connect to Texas with the utility operating a substation on the Texas border.
The lines would cut through northern Louisiana and into Mississippi. The DC current would be converted into AC.
ERCOT already has small tie-ins with both the western and eastern U.S. grids and with Mexico, but nothing like the vast size of this project.
Not ‘political bravado’
At the Electric Club, Billo spoke of the advantages of being an energy island accountable only to us. ERCOT has more flexibility than the major grids. He said operators of the major grids watch Texas’ innovations to see if they work.
Billo quoted former Gov. Rick Perry’s infamous statement after the 2021 ice storm: “Texans would be without electricity for longer than three days to keep the federal government out of their business.”
It’s not just political bravado,” Billo said. “There really are a lot of benefits we have in being able to keep an independent grid. I think it’s really good for the state.”
Could be even better with a tie-in to the big grid, both for times of crisis and to sell off excess power. Could the Southern Spirit be the answer?
The ERCOT man said, “There’s a lot of people who aren’t sure that the project is going to happen because there are hurdles it has to overcome.”
The Pattern man said, “We are fully confident this innovative and much-needed project will move forward.”
I hope so. A million more people have moved into Texas since the 2021 storm. We need all the help we can get.
