WHARTON COUNTY — Wharton County is positioned to become a major connection point in Texas’ planned 765-kilovolt electric grid, but the statewide expansion is now facing growing legal and political pressure.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a brief supporting a request to delay further decisions on the massive transmission buildout until state lawmakers can review its cost, scope and effect on private property.

The filing does not stop either of the proposed lines connected to Wharton County. However, it could influence the debate surrounding those projects before utilities seek formal state approval.

Two Major Lines Connected to Hillje

CenterPoint Energy and AEP Texas are currently planning the Hillje–Blu Lacy Transmission Improvement Project, an approximately 155-mile line that would begin near Hillje in Wharton County and continue south toward Nueces County.

The project could cross Wharton and eight other counties. It would include two new substations and a right of way typically measuring about 200 feet wide.

Several preliminary route options have been presented, but no final route has been selected.

CenterPoint and AEP Texas expect to submit a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity application to the Public Utility Commission of Texas in early 2027. The PUC would then decide whether the project is needed and which route could be constructed.

ERCOT planning documents also identify a separate approximately 130-mile 765-kV line connecting Hillje to the proposed Euclid Substation in Central Texas. Detailed routes for that project have not been announced.

Together, the projects could make the Hillje area an important connection point in a new high-capacity electric backbone crossing Texas.

Paxton Asks Lawmakers to Review the Plan

Paxton filed an amicus curiae brief Aug. 28 before the State Office of Administrative Hearings. The filing supports American Stewards of Liberty’s request to defer decisions on the need for several pending 765-kV projects.

The projects grew from House Bill 5066, which the Texas Legislature approved in 2023 to address increasing electricity demand in the Permian Basin and other high-growth areas.

Paxton argues that the legislation never specifically authorized 765-kV lines or gave lawmakers adequate notice that it could result in a statewide project now estimated to cost approximately $33 billion.

“We need to ensure that a project of this size is being carried out in a way that is best for the people of Texas,” Paxton said.

He wants lawmakers to examine how much the projects could add to electric bills, whether alternatives have been fully considered and how hundreds of miles of new rights of way could affect private landowners.

Paxton is asking regulators to delay further action until the 90th Texas Legislature can review the plan and provide clearer direction.

What It Means for Wharton County

Paxton’s filing does not cancel, approve or formally pause the Hillje–Blu Lacy project.

Because CenterPoint and AEP Texas have not yet submitted their formal application, Wharton County’s project was not among the transmission lines considered by regulators on Aug. 28.

However, its expected 2027 filing could overlap with the next legislative session. Any new laws or regulatory changes involving costs, landowner notification, route selection or eminent domain could affect how the local project moves forward.

Wharton County landowners could potentially be affected by large transmission structures, new access areas and a right of way approximately 200 feet wide. CenterPoint has previously said typical structures could stand between 160 and 180 feet tall, although the final design could vary.

CenterPoint and AEP Texas say the project is needed to increase electric capacity, reduce outages, improve reliability during extreme weather and support continued economic growth.

The companies have estimated that construction could create approximately 1,400 temporary jobs and produce more than $10 million in additional property-tax revenue across the affected area. How much of that revenue would come to Wharton County has not been specified.

Landowners and state officials questioning the buildout have raised concerns about eminent domain, the size of the structures, effects on agricultural property and the possibility that electric customers would ultimately pay for the projects.

Other Projects Continue Moving Forward

Paxton’s filing has not produced a statewide halt.

Later on Aug. 28, the PUC unanimously approved two separate Oncor 765-kV applications covering more than 400 miles and at least 30 counties. Regulators postponed a decision on another line proposed through portions of South and West Texas.

None of those approvals involved the preliminary Hillje–Blu Lacy project.

For now, planning connected to Wharton County continues. No final route has been selected, no construction has been authorized and the PUC has not received the formal application.

Paxton’s involvement adds another level of opposition to the statewide plan and could increase pressure on Texas officials to reconsider the process before Wharton County’s projects reach the approval stage.

Sources: Office of the Texas Attorney General, Public Utility Commission of Texas, ERCOT, CenterPoint Energy and The Texas Tribune.