Texas Grid Gets $113M Upgrade to Cut Outages
Texas has approved $113 million in funding for electricity infrastructure upgrades in the Panhandle and South Plains, supporting efforts to improve grid reliability and reduce power outages.
The grant, awarded through the Texas Energy Fund, will go to Southwestern Public Service Company (SPS), an Xcel Energy company, for three projects focused on strengthening the local distribution system.
The planned work includes repairing and replacing utility poles, adding protective measures in higher-risk areas, and expanding monitoring capabilities across the network. SPS will also launch a drone inspection program covering more than 273,000 poles and install pole-mounted sensors to monitor equipment conditions.
The upgrades are expected to benefit more than 167,000 customers by helping reduce outage risks and allowing crews to respond more quickly when problems occur.
The investment is part of a broader effort by utilities to modernize aging grid infrastructure and improve resilience against severe weather events. SPS said the projects will focus on strengthening vulnerable parts of the distribution system while improving reliability for customers across the region.
Source: yahoo.com
