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Landowners team up to petition against transmission line project

05/29/26 | Caden Senn
transmission lines

Stock image of transmission line for illustrative purposes only

Several hundred property owners, including dozens from Burnet and Llano counties, have signed and filed a petition against a controversial transmission line project spanning significant portions of Central Texas.

The petition, filed with the Public Utility Commission of Texas on May 26, alleges that roughly 1,300 landowners affected by a 400-mile addition of route links to the proposed Bell County East to Big Hill 765-kV Transmission Project were not properly notified of public input meetings held in June 2025.

“Over 1,300 directly affected property owners were denied the essential right to attend a public meeting where they could voice their concerns and express their community values regarding this significant development,” reads the petition. “Applicants added 400 miles of new route links… without notice to, or any input from, these newly affected landowners.”

The petition supports a motion for immediate remedy and relief, signed and submitted by 179 landowners the same day. The motion calls for the transmission project to be put on pause until the next legislative session (January 2027); the PUCT to enforce proper notification standards; the PUCT to extend intervention deadlines due to failure to properly notify affected property owners; and the review of statewide policy on 765-kV expansion.

The project has loomed over the heads of many local residents and officials due to all proposed routes of the line running through Burnet County. If approved, the project would bring the power of eminent domain, 18-story steel towers, and 200- to 300-foot easements.

Several hundred additional testimonies and protests have been filed against the project in hopes of changing its course before the PUCT decides its fate in September.

Background on the Bell County East to Big Hill 765 kV Transmission Line

The Bell County East to Big Hill 765-kV Transmission Project has been on Burnet County’s radar since June 2025. Since then, public opposition and protest has risen and the county has officially taken up opposition to the state project. 

The transmission line project’s intention is to bring power to West Texas, but many Burnet County residents believe that it would be at the expense of Hill Country landowners.

The project was mandated by the Texas Legislature in 2023 through House Bill 5066. The bill aimed to increase the reliability of the Texas electric grid, and also specifically targeted bringing power to the Permian Basin region of West Texas. 

The Public Utility Commission of Texas took on the task, requesting the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to conduct a study on the power needs of the Permian Basin, resulting in the Permian Basin Reliability Study. 

The results of that study showed a massive increase in the projected demand for electricity from that region, mostly to satisfy an estimated addition of 11,695 megawatts to the grid from the non-oil and gas industry. Per ERCOT’s study, this load would be made up of 59 percent cryptocurrency operations, 22 percent “green hydrogen” projects, 13 percent “other” commercial and industrial projects, and 6 percent datacenters. Power would also be used to electrify the petroleum industry in West Texas.

Once ERCOT’s study was completed, the PUCT tasked Oncor Electric Delivery and the Lower Colorado River Authority with devising a plan to deliver more power to the Permian Basin. After months of planning the organizations created a preliminary plan and route for 765 kilovolt powerlines to be run from Central Texas to West Texas. Burnet County was notified of the plans, and the fact that it would likely be included in all possible routes, in May 2025. 

The project, to be paid for by the state, has an estimated total cost of $33 billion, and would include three major lines, including the Bell County East to Big Hill project. 

Read the DailyTrib stories below to learn more:

caden@thepicayune.com

News stories, staff photos, and other online content are copyrighted property of Victory Media. Reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited without the express written consent of the publisher.

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