Texas Border Business
AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today announced a Texas Energy Fund (TxEF) grant to strengthen electric reliability for more than 538,000 Entergy Texas customers in Southeast Texas. The grant will support Entergy Texas projects to strengthen power lines, upgrade utility poles, and better protect electric equipment from severe weather and flooding.
“Texans deserve reliable electricity no matter where they live,” said Governor Abbott. “These grants will strengthen the power infrastructure that Southeast Texas families, businesses, schools, and hospitals rely on every day. Texas will build a stronger, more reliable electric grid for all Texans.”
“The TxEF Outside-ERCOT Grant Program is delivering real improvements to electric reliability across Texas,” said Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) Chairman Thomas Gleeson. “These projects will strengthen critical power equipment, reduce storm-related outages, and help restore power more quickly when severe weather strikes. This is exactly the kind of investment Texan voters approved when they created the TxEF.”
“Working in close partnership with state leadership, we are fast-tracking critical grid upgrades to better defend against extreme weather,” said CEO of Entergy Texas Eliecer Viamontes. “Delivering these outcomes with zero impact to customer bills makes this a definitive win for the families, businesses, and communities we serve across Southeast Texas.”
The $200 million grant will fund two projects that improve reliability and resiliency throughout Entergy Texas’ service territory, including portions of Chambers, Grimes, Hardin, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, Orange, and Walker counties.
The larger project will strengthen more than 400 miles of transmission and distribution lines and upgrade more than 9,000 structures across the electric system. This includes upgrading utility poles that are vulnerable to damage during major storms. These improvements are expected to reduce outages and shorten power restoration times.
The second project will strengthen five substations against flooding and severe weather, helping substations remain operational during extreme weather events.
The PUCT administers the TxEF Outside ERCOT Grant Program, which provides funding for projects that improve electric reliability and resiliency for Texans served by electric utilities outside the ERCOT region. More information on this and other TxEF programs is available on the PUCT’s website.
