1. Who is CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC?

Transcription

1 1. Who is CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC? CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC (CenterPoint Energy or the Company) is an electric utility that maintains the wires, towers, poles, and electric infrastructure serving more than two million end-use customers in a 5,000-square-mile electric service territory in the Houston metropolitan area. While CenterPoint Energy s employees ensure the reliable delivery of power from power plants to homes and businesses, the Company neither generates power nor sells it to customers. 2. What is the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC)? The PUC is the state agency that was created by the Texas Legislature to provide statewide regulation of the rates and services of electric and telecommunication utilities. 3. What is the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)? ERCOT manages the flow of electric power to 23 million Texas customers - representing 85 percent of the state's electric load. As the independent system operator for the region, ERCOT oversees activities related to the reliable and safe transmission of electricity by scheduling power on an electric grid that connects 40,500 miles of transmission lines and more than 550 generation units. ERCOT is a membership-based nonprofit corporation, governed by a board of directors and subject to oversight by the PUC and the Texas Legislature. ERCOT's members include consumers, cooperatives, generators, power marketers, retail electric providers, investor-owned electric utilities (transmission and distribution providers), and municipal-owned electric utilities. 4. What are electric transmission lines? Electric transmission lines are a part of the interconnected power system that moves electricity from all generating stations to substations, where the electricity is reduced in voltage and then delivered to end-use consumers over the distribution system that connects to businesses and homes. Electric transmission lines are larger, operate at higher voltages, and typically convey electricity over larger distances. Electric distribution lines are smaller, operate at lower voltages, and convey electricity over shorter distances within cities and neighborhoods. 5. Why is a new electric transmission line needed? Electric transmission lines are an essential part of the facilities necessary to deliver electricity throughout Texas. Specifically, electric transmission facilities are necessary to deliver electricity to large population centers, such as the Houston region, from generating plants located long distances from cities and towns.

2 Economic and population growth could greatly strain the Houston region s existing reliable electric infrastructure. To meet the growing demand for electricity in the coming years, new electric transmission lines must be built to access power located in other parts of the ERCOT region. Like a congested freeway, a new electric transmission line will help relieve congestion on existing electric transmission lines while bringing reliable power into the Houston region. Additional benefits for the electric transmission grid in the ERCOT region will also be achieved. The Houston region not only includes the 4th largest city in the United States, it also encompasses the Texas Medical Center, the headquarters of 25 Fortune 500 Companies, four major universities, the Port of Houston, Houston's 911 Call and Emergency Center, the Harris County Transit Control Center, the United States Veterans Affairs hospitals, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facility south of Houston, and significant petrochemical plants, refineries, cogeneration facilities, and pipelines. The nature and amount of essential energy and petrochemical infrastructure located in the Houston region make it absolutely essential to the vitality and security of Texas and the nation. 6. What process occurred at ERCOT to determine the need for a new electric transmission line? CenterPoint Energy performed a study to consider the import needs for the Houston area based on planning criteria for ERCOT and the Company. The study indicated that there is a need for additional import capacity starting in 2018 to ensure reliable power. The Company considered 25 alternatives to address the import power needs, and it ultimately proposed three alternative projects for ERCOT consideration. CenterPoint Energy submitted the study to ERCOT for review and approval in July of The ERCOT Staff sought input from the ERCOT Regional Planning Group. After considering input from the Regional Planning Group, the ERCOT Staff recommended the construction of the proposed Limestone-Gibbons Creek-Zenith 345 kv double circuit transmission line. The ERCOT Staff recommendation was considered by the Technical Advisory Committee and the ERCOT Board of Directors. The project was endorsed by the ERCOT Board of Directors in April How will the new electric transmission line benefit areas outside of the Greater Houston region? Because the new electric transmission line will be interconnected to ERCOT s state-wide transmission grid, the project will also have added benefits including: Improving transmission grid reliability by reducing the possibility of system-wide cascading outage events that could lead to involuntary load loss in the ERCOT system even outside the Houston region; Improving emergency power response capability through the addition of new electric transmission lines to transport power to other areas, such as delivering emergency power to the areas around Bryan/College Station and Dallas during extremely cold or icy weather;

3 Maintaining and perhaps even increasing the potential for economic growth outside the Houston region from businesses and industries that benefit from the Houston region s robust economy that relies on the transmission delivery of reliable power; and Increasing the use of ERCOT s existing transmission system provides access to statewide generation sources, which may be outside or remote to the Houston region. 8. What happens if a new electric transmission line is not constructed? New electric transmission lines improve electric system reliability by providing an alternate, separate path for power transmission, and relieving congestion on the existing transmission network. Failure to do so may limit the Houston region s ability to continue to grow and prosper. 9. If new power plants are built in the ERCOT region, will the electric transmission line still be needed? Even if the rest of the ERCOT region achieves adequate generation reliability, the Houston region could be left without sufficient power resources. Unless additional transmission capacity is built soon, we believe there is a strong possibility that the residents and economy in the Houston region could be negatively impacted. 10. Will the power that flows across the new electric transmission line come from the wind generation in Texas or from other power plants? The electric transmission line will transport power from the multitude of generation sources interconnected in the ERCOT transmission grid. The electric transmission line is not intended to interconnect a specific generator; rather it is intended to provide an additional power pathway into the Greater Houston region to maintain reliable electric service. 11. What is the process for the approval of the Brazos Valley Connection electric transmission line and where will it be located? CenterPoint Energy will gather input from the community and other sources for a routing study and environmental assessment between the Zenith Substation in Harris County and the Gibbons Creek Substation in Grimes County. After gathering the necessary information, CenterPoint Energy will prepare and file an Application for a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN) for a proposed electric transmission line at the PUC. The application will include different routing options between the two substations. The PUC will decide whether the application should be approved and, if approved, which route will be constructed.

4 12. What are the considerations involved in selecting a route for the electric transmission line? The PUC considers many factors in deciding whether to approve a proposed electric transmission line including community values, recreational and park areas, historic and aesthetic values, and environmental integrity. They also consider specific routing criteria for new lines including whether the route utilizes or parallels compatible rights-of-way such as following existing electric transmission lines, roads, pipelines, property lines, natural features, and cultural features. CenterPoint Energy will gather these routing factors and provide them in the Application for a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity for a Proposed Transmission Line that will be filed with the PUC. 13. Why is CenterPoint Energy holding public meetings for the Brazos Valley Connection Project? CenterPoint Energy is transmission and distribution utility regulated by the PUC. PUC rules required a utility that plans to file a CCN application to construct a new transmission line to hold at least one public meeting in the area where the utility intends to build the transmission line. CenterPoint Energy typically schedules one or more public meetings to share and gather information as well as address any concerns or questions from landowners and other interested parties about the routing of a proposed transmission line. Individuals attending the public meeting will have an opportunity to make comments, ask questions, and express any concerns that they might have about the routes under consideration. Representatives from CenterPoint Energy and POWER Engineers, Inc. will be available to answer questions. 14. What type of structures will be used on the new transmission line for the Southern Portion of the Brazos Valley Connection Project? CenterPoint Energy is proposing three alternate structure types: 1) an approximately 116 foot tall double-circuit steel lattice tower in a delta configuration in a new 150 foot wide right-of-way; 2) an approximately 151 foot tall double-circuit steel lattice tower in a vertical configuration in a new 100 foot wide right-of-way; and 3) an approximately 149 foot tall double-circuit steel monopole in a vertical configuration in an approximately 90 foot wide right-of-way. 15. When will construction tentatively begin, and when will the project be completed on the Brazos Valley Connection? CenterPoint Energy plans to file the CCN application with the PUC in April of Because the project has been formally designated by ERCOT as critical to the reliability of the system, the PUC has 180 days to make a decision on the project. However, the PUC can issue an order prior to that time. The Company will begin construction upon final approval by the PUC. CenterPoint Energy anticipates that the project will be completed no later than June of 2018

5 16. How will CenterPoint Energy compensate landowners if it is necessary for the transmission line to cross their property? CenterPoint Energy will make a bona fide offer to the landowner based on the fair market value of the land when purchasing right-of-way in accordance with Texas law and will provide landowners with a copy of The State of Texas Landowner s Bill of Rights. If the parties do not agree on the fair market value of the property, the fair market value will be determined in a condemnation proceeding where special commissioners, appointed by a judge, will determine the fair market value of the property following a hearing where all interested parties are entitled to provide evidence of valuation.