Howard - SolsticeTransmission Line Project

AEP Texas is set to build one of the first 765-kV transmission line projects in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to support the growing electricity needs of the Permian Basin. AEP Texas will build the line as part of a jointly assigned project with CPS Energy.

The Howard-Solstice Transmission Line Project is one of three 765-kV transmission lines to be constructed along the 765-kV import paths approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) in April 2024 as part of the Permian Basin Reliability Plan. The project involves building approximately 370 miles of 765-kilovolt (kV) power line between AEP Texas’ Solstice Substation near Fort Stockton and CPS Energy’s Howard Substation southwest of San Antonio.

The extra high voltage transmission lines approved by the Commission will introduce a more efficient and more reliable delivery system that creates additional opportunities for future growth in communities throughout west Texas, the Permian Basin region, which is an important energy location for the state and national economies. The route is currently in the planning stages.

AEP’s experience with 765-kV began in 1961 with the installation of an experimental 750-kV transmission line at AEP’s test facility near Apple Grove, West Virginia. After several years of research and development, in 1966 AEP announced plans to build 1,050 miles of 765-kV transmission by 1972 to support the rapid electrical load growth throughout the region. In 1969, AEP energized the world’s first operational 765-kV transmission line between Kentucky and Ohio, marking the highest installed voltage line at the time. Today the 765-kV network has grown to over 2,200 miles and 30 substations across six states.

Open houses for the Howard-Solstice 765-kV transmission line project were held in summer 2025 at locations along the line where project team members discussed potential route links and answered questions from the public.

AEP Texas and CPS Energy are currently collecting feedback about the project.

The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) requires AEP Texas officials to file a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN) application for review and approval of the project. Following the review of the CCN application, the PUCT determines the final line route. AEP Texas representatives plan to file a CCN application for the project in early February 2026 and expect to receive a response from the PUCT in summer 2026.