East Texas residents may soon notice taller, thicker utility poles alongside roads to help the power grid better withstand storms.
As the rebuild expands, the goal is simple: fewer outages and faster recovery when severe weather moves through.
Here's what to know
As The Longview News-Journal reported, a roughly $250 million overhaul is underway in Longview and nearby communities, with about 700 miles of copper line and utility poles set to be replaced. Southwestern Electric Power Co. is paying for much of that work with a $200 million grant from the Texas Energy Fund.
Southwestern Electric Power Co. received the grant in June, and the money remains available through 2031. The company plans to finish the rebuild within that window, so the work will continue across its East Texas service area until then.
The extra height on utility poles creates more room for attachments from fiber-optic internet providers and other utilities that already pay to use the poles under existing agreements. The company also said the project will not raise rates for customers.
More background
Beyond improving day-to-day reliability, the Texas Energy Fund grant is intended to cut storm-related outages and lower wildfire risk. Replacing older poles and wires with sturdier equipment can help reduce failures that lead to hazardous conditions or long repairs.
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The project also includes vegetation management, one of the less visible but most important parts of keeping the lights on. Clearing trees and maintaining rights-of-way can reduce the chances of branches bringing down lines and can help crews reach damaged areas more quickly after a storm.
What's being done?
In project documents cited by the News-Journal, Southwestern Electric Power Co. officials said customers "will not bear the cost of the $200 million funded through the Texas Energy Fund."
Temporary outages may still occur in areas where crews are actively working.
As company officials said, "Together, these efforts will modernize some of the oldest portions of the distribution system, rebuilding them to a more resilient, storm-hardened design with fully cleared rights-of-way."
Where can I learn more?
As extreme weather events become longer and more intense amid rising global temperatures, improving grid infrastructure is essential to protect customers from blackouts.
• In the Texas Panhandle and South Plains, grid upgrades and drone inspections are targeting 273,000 utility poles.
• Intersect Power plans $800 million in battery installations to strengthen Texas' grid.
• Near San Antonio, a massive new battery is adding fast-response storage to the Texas grid.
• In New Jersey, a billion-dollar power grid update is reshaping service for residents statewide.
• Across the Midwest, a $4.9 billion grid upgrade lost federal backing despite promised jobs.
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