370-Mile Howard–Solstice Power Line Faces Water-Protection Questions
The route has a final approval order, but October reporting raises groundwater concerns as the utilities prepare for a planned 2028 construction start and 2030 operation.
The Howard–Solstice transmission project is drawing renewed scrutiny over groundwater protection after receiving its route approval in September. The approximately 370-mile, 765kV proposal would connect the Howard Road Station in Bexar County with the Solstice Station in Pecos County, extending high-voltage infrastructure from the San Antonio area toward the Permian Basin.
CPS Energy’s project record confirms that the Public Utility Commission voted on September 11 and issued its final order on September 18, adopting Route 4-Mod 1. Those dates describe different steps in the same approval process.
Project at a Glance
- Utilities:
- AEP Texas and CPS Energy
- Proposed length:
- Approximately 370 miles
- Voltage:
- 765kV
- Route approval:
- September 11 vote; September 18, 2026 final order
- Construction target:
- Fall 2028
- In-service target:
- 2030
What the latest concerns establish
Texas Scorecard’s October 16 report attributes concerns about potential aquifer effects to the Uvalde County Underground Water Conservation District’s general manager. The report also describes objections about consultation and the treatment of water resources during route development.
Those are concerns raised by an identified local official, rather than a verified finding that the approved line has damaged groundwater. The report says the utilities and regulator did not provide responses before its publication. A documented response and project-specific environmental evidence would be needed to assess the competing positions more fully.
An approved route with construction still ahead
The project sits within the wider Permian Basin Reliability Plan. CPS Energy identifies docket 59336 for the joint application and records the route-selection process on its project page. Approval fixes a regulatory route decision; it is separate from completing land agreements, engineering and construction mobilization.
The published development timetable points to construction beginning in fall 2028 and operation in 2030. Those remain targets. No principal line-building or substation-construction appointment was independently verified for this update.
Separate from Oncor’s northern corridor
Howard–Solstice is an AEP Texas and CPS Energy project. It should not be combined with Oncor’s Dinosaur–Longshore and Longshore–Drill Hole projects as if they were one contract, one approved route or a single construction schedule.
Delivery will require coordination of transmission structures, foundations, conductor installation and station interfaces along a long corridor. The precise packages and award values remain to be established.
Future updates should distinguish regulatory rehearing activity from engineering and field milestones. The most useful evidence will include final route documents, landowner notices, an updated utility schedule, responses to groundwater concerns and confirmed construction awards.