June 2, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the first agreement under the Texas Energy Fund (TxEF) Outside of ERCOT Grant Program (OEGP) with Sam Houston Electric Cooperative. The grant funds a project that will replace and upgrade nearly 10,000 electric poles in East Texas and strengthen other equipment to ensure electric reliability for more than 38,000 Texas consumers.
The project, named Steel Anchor, will replace 9,838 vulnerable wooden utility poles with stronger steel and ductile iron poles across portions of Hardin, Liberty and Montgomery counties. The upgrades will reportedly improve the reliability and resilience of the electric distribution system in some of the most hurricane-prone areas of Sam Houston Electric Cooperative’s service territory.
The PUCT approved a grant award of approximately $73 million for the project through the OEGP, which provides funding for electric infrastructure projects that improve reliability and resiliency for Texans served by electric utilities outside the ERCOT region.
“The Texas Energy Fund delivers real results for Texans and strengthens the electric systems that families, businesses, and communities depend on,” said Abbott. “This grant to Sam Houston Electric Cooperative will replace thousands of vulnerable utility poles to better withstand severe weather and ensure a more reliable and resilient grid in East Texas.”
“As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, Sam Houston EC is honored to receive this grant to reinforce our system on behalf of our consumer-members,” said Sam Houston EC CEO Doug Turk. “Over the past decade, Sam Houston EC has strategically replaced poles to improve the strength of its electricity distribution system. This grant will boost the Cooperative’s ongoing grid-hardening and resiliency program.”
The Steel Anchor project is expected to be completed by June 2031.
The OEGP is one of four TxEF programs. More information about these programs is available online at puc.texas.gov/industry/electric/business/texas-energy-fund/.