Serving landowners on the approved Howard – Solstice route
The Public Utility Commission approved the Howard – Solstice line on September 11, 2026 along Route 4 Modification 1. You cannot stop the line, but what Oncor pays you and what the easement permanently allows are both still negotiable. Do not sign a survey permission form or accept a first offer until an eminent domain attorney has reviewed it.
Or call (800) 460-2756.
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Texas 765 kV transmission line projects
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Updated September 2026
Short answer: The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved the Howard – Solstice 765 kV transmission line on September 11, 2026, along Route 4 Modification 1. Landowners cannot stop the line at this point, but they can negotiate what they are paid and the terms of the easement that will bind their land forever.
Do not sign a survey permission form, and do not accept a first offer, until a condemnation attorney has reviewed it. Call Harrison Davis at (800) 460-2756 for a free consultation.
On September 11, 2026, the Public Utility Commission of Texas approved the joint application of AEP Texas and CPS Energy to build the Howard – Solstice 765 kV transmission line, adopting a modified version of Route 4. Hundreds of landowners protested or intervened. Their objections were serious and well documented, yet they did not stop the project.
If your land is on or near the approved route, you may feel angry and overwhelmed. You may also feel that the PUC process did not adequately consider landowner input—especially if your land is on the Modification 1 route, which was proposed in a last-minute change the day before the PUC vote. But your real fight has only begun.
In Texas, companies with eminent-domain authority can take property for public use—with or without your consent. But the Texas Constitution requires that companies like AEP Texas and CPS Energy pay you “adequate compensation” for what they take from you. The process for determining what they owe is where landowners’ concerns are heard and listened to—and where the lawyers at Harrison Davis can help.
You do not have to accept the utility’s first offer. In our experience, the offer that utility companies are required to make to you is typically far lower than what you are entitled to under the law. You should consult with an experienced condemnation lawyer to help you get what you’re owed.
| Approved | September 11, 2026 (PUC Docket No. 59336). Read the Commission’s order here. |
|---|---|
| Description | A 765 kV line running roughly 370 miles from CPS Energy’s Howard Substation southwest of San Antonio to AEP Texas’ Solstice Substation near Fort Stockton. |
| Approved route | Route 4 Modification 1 – segments 6-7A-7B-11-68-69-71-253-76B-75B-81A-81B-256-83A-258-115A-115B-117-238-239-128C-130-131-145A-145B-167-165-166-170-176-193-195-201-202-223-224-229 |
| Utilities | AEP Texas and CPS Energy |
| Planned in service | Fall 2030 |
| What’s next | The utilities’ schedule calls for right-of-way acquisition from now through fall 2028, with construction beginning in fall 2028. Survey crews and right-of-way agents will begin contacting landowners along the approved route soon. |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 2, 2026 | AEP Texas and CPS Energy filed their joint application for a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN) with the PUC. Landowners received notice, and hundreds protested or intervened. View the filings. |
| Spring 2026 | The PUC referred the case to the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) for a hearing before administrative law judges. View the referral order. |
| May 19–22, 2026 | Evidentiary hearing. AEP/CPS proposed Route 4 as their preferred route, and PUC Staff agreed. Landowners submitted extensive testimony and briefing recommending different routes. |
| July 27, 2026 | The judges issued their Proposal for Decision (PFD), recommending Route 4. |
| August 28, 2026 | The Commission postponed its decision for further deliberation. |
| September 11, 2026 | The Commission approved the line and adopted a modified version of Route 4 (Modification 1). Read the order. |
As approved, the line runs through or near Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Crockett, Edwards, Kerr, Kinney, Medina, Pecos, Real, Sutton, Terrell, Uvalde, and Val Verde Counties. Being in one of these counties does not mean the line crosses your land—and not being contacted yet does not mean it doesn’t.
Compared with the original Route 4, which ran to the south of Uvalde, the approved Modification 1 to Route 4 means the line will run around Uvalde on the north side.
Source: PUC Docket No. 59336, Item 2726 (9/10/26): Commissioner Hjaltman Memo
To find your property on the approved alignment:
Source: AEP
A 765 kV line is not a fence line. It is not just taller and wider than the lines most Texans are used to; it is fundamentally different in kind. It changes how you work your land, what you can do on it, and what it is worth when it comes time to sell it or pass it down.
An easement is not just “a strip of land.” It is a permanent grant of rights that runs with your property. It typically includes:
Once these rights are signed away or taken, they are very difficult to undo. The easement document matters as much as the check. Often more important than the money are the terms governing how the easement is used, where permanent structures go, how the utility accesses your property, and when (if ever) the easement ends. The dollar figure is negotiated once. The easement terms bind your children and grandchildren.
Under the Texas Constitution you are entitled to “adequate compensation” when a taking occurs—and that is far more than the value of the acreage inside the easement. Adequate compensation may include:
AEP Texas and CPS Energy will likely try to price this first-of-its-kind 765 kV easement using comparable sales and past acquisitions from much smaller, lower-voltage lines. Answering that argument takes evidence—appraisers who understand rural farm and ranch values, land planners, agricultural experts, and engineers. We have already started building that team.
| DO | Be courteous, and write down the date, the agent’s name, and what was said. Ask for the easement document itself, not just the offer letter. Photograph your property now—fences, pens, roads, pivots, gates. |
|---|---|
| DON’T | Don’t sign a survey permission or right-of-entry form before it has been reviewed. Don’t discuss numbers or what you would “take.” Don’t cash a check. |
Most landowners believe the commissioners’ award is the end of the road. It is not—but the deadlines to object are short, and they are unforgiving.
Payment is only one part of the process. These are some of the terms that should be addressed before you sign anything:
| Category | Key Protections / Negotiable Terms |
|---|---|
| Survey & Pre-entry | Demand strict limits: written notice, defined time windows, repair of damage, limited rights of access. |
| Easement Terms | Fix in writing: width, circuit count (including future capacity), structure placement, removal rights, expansion rights, access paths, gates/fencing, vegetation & clearing rules, herbicide use, restoration obligations, use of remainder for farming / ranching / wildlife, drainage management, and liability/indemnity/responsibility clauses. |
| Valuation & Compensation | Ensure full compensation for (a) the easement interest taken, (b) remainder damages (devaluation of the rest of your parcel due to the presence and burden of the line), (c) temporary damages and construction impacts, (d) any severance or functional impairment (e.g. blocking expansion, access, or interfering with highest-use). |
| Design / Mitigation Measures | Seek constrained routing around sensitive infrastructure (wells, water lines, pipelines, historic sites), buffer zones, minimal tower height in certain zones, updated drainage and erosion controls, seasonal construction windows aligned to your agricultural calendar, well/fence protections, and clauses for future line maintenance or upgrades. |
| Enforcement & Remedies | In the easement document: built-in remedies (liquidated damages, reclamation bond, holdback, periodic inspections), and obligation to restore utilities, land surface, fencing, vegetation. |
| Review & Oversight | Require that final design plans (survey plats, profiles, staking) be shared with you for review; preserve right to object or require minor adjustments before construction. |
Engaging an attorney early helps you value remainder damages and lock in protective easement terms your grandkids won’t regret.
Throughout the acquisition and condemnation process, AEP Texas and CPS Energy will be represented by attorneys whose goal is to acquire your property rights for as little as possible and on the terms most favorable to the utility. If you want the full legal value of your property and easement terms that protect your operation, you need an experienced condemnation trial attorney protecting your interests.
Yes. On September 11, 2026, the Public Utility Commission of Texas approved the joint application of AEP Texas and CPS Energy in Docket No. 59336 and adopted Route 4 Modification 1. The line runs roughly 370 miles from CPS Energy’s Howard Substation southwest of San Antonio to AEP Texas’ Solstice Substation near Fort Stockton, with a planned in-service date of fall 2030.
As approved, the line runs through or near Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Crockett, Edwards, Kerr, Kinney, Medina, Pecos, Real, Sutton, Terrell, Uvalde and Val Verde Counties. Being in one of these counties does not mean the line crosses your land, and not being contacted yet does not mean it does not.
AEP Texas plans self-supporting steel lattice structures and guyed structures, typically 140 to 160 feet tall and spaced about 1,400 feet apart, within a permanent easement typically 200 feet wide. A 160-foot structure is about as tall as a 13-story building.
No. Companies with eminent-domain authority can take property for public use with or without the owner’s consent. What a landowner can control is the amount of compensation and the terms of the easement.
Adequate compensation is more than the value of the acreage inside the easement. It can include the value of the land taken, the loss in value to the remainder of the property, damage to farming and ranching operations and access, future development restrictions, and construction and maintenance damages.
Be courteous, write down the date, the agent’s name and what was said, ask for the easement document itself rather than just the offer letter, and photograph your property. Do not sign a survey permission or right-of-entry form before it has been reviewed, do not discuss numbers, and do not cash a check.
The utility can file a condemnation petition in the county where the property is located. Three special commissioners who own land and live in that county hold a hearing and set an award. Either side may object to the award and try the adequate-compensation question to a jury in that same county.
Harrison Davis represents landowners on a contingency fee basis with no up-front fees or costs. The fee is based only on the amount recovered above the utility’s initial written offer. If the firm does not increase the compensation, the landowner owes no attorney’s fees or case expenses.
You don’t have to fight this alone—and you shouldn’t. Contact Harrison Davis for a free, no-obligation consultation.
We represent landowners on a contingency fee basis, with no up-front fees or costs. Our fee is based only on the amount we recover above the utility’s initial written offer. If we don’t increase your compensation, you owe no attorney’s fees or case expenses.
Call (800) 460-2756, or toll-free (800) 460-2756, or fill out our online intake form and one of our condemnation trial attorneys will contact you.
Contact the experienced litigation attorneys at Harrison Davis to schedule a free consultation and get the answers you need.
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