A consortia backed by Airtricity has committed to the construction of a 345-kV transmission 'loop' in the Texas Panhandle Plains region (USA).
The $1.5 billion 'Panhandle Loop' will be a 800-mile 'looped' transmission project bringing 4,200MW of wind energy to more than one million homes. The proposal for the three interconnected transmission lines extending from three separate loops on the grid has been filed with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and, once approved; all parties are committed to moving it forward with a goal of project completion as early as late 2010. The consortia behind the Panhandle Loop include Airtricity, Inc.; Babcock & Brown Renewable Holdings Inc; Celanese, Ltd.; Occidental Energy Ventures Corp.; and Sharyland Utilities, L.P.