The Lower Colorado River Authority has approved its business and capital plans for Fiscal Year 2025, which begins July 1, authorizing about $1.32 billion in energy, water and public service projects and a $577 million business plan. In addition to affirming a commitment to a new “peaker” plant that will come online with electricity when the grid is maxed out, the LCRA board plans to invest more than $3.9 billion in transmission facilities over the next five years in order to increase reliability and meet projected demands for electricity in the future. In addition, LCRA will invest around $146 million in data transmission to enable smart technologies, $174 million on water supply projects and $38 million in dam rehabilitation projects over the next five years. “We electrified the Hill Country in the 1930s and ’40s, and now we are taking a lead role in investing in dispatchable generation that can be called upon quickly when needed,” LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson said in a statement to the press. “We are well positioned to serve Texans and our customers for many years to come because while LCRA’s services have evolved over the past 90 years, we continue to help Texans respond to significant population growth by staying true to our mission to enhance the quality of life of the people we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service.” LCRA does not collect taxes or receive state appropriations and is funded by its own business revenues. Fiscal Year 2025 business and capital plans can be found here: www.lcra.org/about/financial-highlights/business-plan.
Elizabeth Pagano is the editor of the Austin Monitor. More by Elizabeth Pagano