PUC Suspends Subsequent CREZ Dockets
The Public Utility Commission of Texas issued an order on February 12, 2010, suspending the subsequent CREZ projects that were scheduled to be filed between March 1 and July 26.
The suspension was necessary because a District Court in Austin issued a final judgment on January 15th, reversing and remanding the Commission's decision in Docket No. 35665 to award CREZ projects to several transmission service providers. The City of Garland had appealed the decision not to award any CREZ projects to Garland or any municipally-owned utility.
The Commission has determined that the record evidence in Docket No. 35665 will be reevaluated, so another full hearing will not be necessary. The previous schedule is no longer practical, however, so the Commission suspended the schedule for filing CCN applications for the subsequent projects until the assignment CREZ projects is decided in a new docket, Docket No 37902.
The suspension of the schedule for the subsequent projects does not affect the CREZ priority project applications that have been filed and for which hearings have been held or the sole remaining priority project, LCRA's McCamey D - Kendall - Gillespie project. That project is scheduled to be filed on July 6, 2010.
The suspension was necessary because a District Court in Austin issued a final judgment on January 15th, reversing and remanding the Commission's decision in Docket No. 35665 to award CREZ projects to several transmission service providers. The City of Garland had appealed the decision not to award any CREZ projects to Garland or any municipally-owned utility.
The Commission has determined that the record evidence in Docket No. 35665 will be reevaluated, so another full hearing will not be necessary. The previous schedule is no longer practical, however, so the Commission suspended the schedule for filing CCN applications for the subsequent projects until the assignment CREZ projects is decided in a new docket, Docket No 37902.
The suspension of the schedule for the subsequent projects does not affect the CREZ priority project applications that have been filed and for which hearings have been held or the sole remaining priority project, LCRA's McCamey D - Kendall - Gillespie project. That project is scheduled to be filed on July 6, 2010.
Thank you for keeping everyone informed regarding the CREZ projects. Lonestar was to file for their CCN on March 22 - Have all CCN filings been suspended and what will happen now? I noticed that things are moving along for the Docket #37409. Thanks again for updating us.
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Susan,
The Lone Star project you referred to is a subsequent project; the first round of Oncor and LCRA applications were priority projects. The priority projects were considered necessary for the existing wind generation that exists in West Texas. The subsequent projects are needed to expand the wind generation facilities so Texas can meet the renewable energy goals set by the Legislature.
Because of a remand by a Travis County District Court overturning the Commission's decision in Docket No. 35665 not to award any of the subsequent projects to municipally-owned utilities, the Commission is reconsidering its original order. While it reconsiders that order, all of filing dates for the subsequent CREZ projects are suspended. The Commissioners have said at the Commission's Open Meetings that they would like to move quickly with reconsideration of the original order awarding projects to transmission service providers.
The Commission may take action on the reconsideration in March. If it does so, I would expect that the suspension would be lifted and the subsequent CREZ projects would be started up with a new schedule that would delay the applications by 4 to 6 weeks from the original filing dates.
The Commission will consider a proposed order in Docket No. 37409 at its Open Meeting on March 4, 2010. That order is based on the settlement agreement entered into by the parties to the case.
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