Lone Star Transmission energizes 330 miles of new 345-kilovolt transmission lines in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas, March 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Lone Star Transmission, LLC, a rate-regulated transmission service provider in Texas, and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), today announced that it has completed energization of approximately 330 miles of new 345-kilovolt (kv) transmission lines and associated transmission facilities. The project, which includes four circuits and five substations, stretches from Scurry County, northwest of Abilene to Navarro County, just south of Dallas.

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"To enhance the reliability of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) transmission grid and help ensure customers have access to affordable power, transmission lines like the ones we have just energized are critical to Texas' energy future," said Lone Star Transmission President Mike Grable. "This project, delivered on-time and under budget, will benefit Texans for decades to come. We look forward to exploring new opportunities that will further strengthen the transmission grid and grow the Texas economy."

Lone Star's transmission lines are one part of a transmission grid improvement program that will add approximately 2,300 miles of 345-kv lines to deliver power from the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) in west Texas and the Texas panhandle to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and other population centers in Texas. The CREZ initiative is an unprecedented effort that has placed Texas in the forefront of a national effort to promote renewable energy, enhance the Texas economy, introduce competition and innovation, and strengthen the reliability of the ERCOT electric grid.

Lone Star Transmission is the first new transmission utility to energize its CREZ facilities. Utilizing more than 2,500 spun concrete monopoles, Lone Star was able to reduce the project's visual impact and land needs without adding cost.

In addition to enhancing the reliability of the ERCOT electric grid, the Lone Star Transmission project has had a meaningful impact on local economies by creating jobs and increasing direct and indirect economic activity, as well as improving local tax revenues.

Approximately 900 construction jobs were created during the roughly three-year construction period. With headquarters and control centers in Austin, Texas and field offices in Hillsboro and Abilene, Texas, Lone Star Transmission now employs nearly 40 people to operate the transmission lines and associated facilities in a safe and reliable manner.

Further, this project will generate significant new tax revenues. The property improvements are expected to generate property tax payments in excess of $10 million in the first full year of operation alone.

About Lone Star Transmission

Lone Star Transmission, LLC, is a rate-regulated transmission service provider in Texas that owns and operates approximately 330 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, and associated equipment, that stretches from Scurry County, northwest of Abilene to Navarro County just south of Dallas. Lone Star Transmission is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.lonestar-transmission.com.

SOURCE Lone Star Transmission, LLC