Rock Ridge Resources, Inc. (RRRI)

[Irgitupp]

Meeting Austin? just from the news I read in the message:

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By ERIC TORBENSON / The Dallas Morning News

etorbenson@dallasnews

The Texas Public Utility Commission Thursday approved $4.93 billion in new power transmission lines to bring cheap wind power from West Texas to consumers in north and central areas of the state.

The commission chose the middle option of five scenarios to build a new grid of transmission lines. The move will add more wind megawatts to Texas than the next 14 wind-producing states combined, noted commission Paul Hudson.

“It’s a big bite,” Mr. Hudson said from the meeting in Austin. “It’s a pretty big day for me. We’ve been working on this for three years.”

The approval ends the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone process related to establishing a bigger wind grid. Many advocates wanted the state to pick more aggressive — and expensive — plans to put some of the wind power as far southeast as Houston. The scenario chosen doesn’t include building lines that far southeast.

Other parties wanted the state to take it slower and authorize the building of fewer lines. Commissioner Julie Caruthers Parsley disagreed with the choice of Scenario 2, saying it may add too much power for the system to handle and potentially stalling other new power plant projects.

The state will have to decide who builds the lines and how quickly; the new grid could be in place as quickly as 2012 or 2013 depending on other factors, Mr. Hudson said in the meeting this morning.