What is CREZ and what is its purpose?
A CREZ (Competitive Renewable Energy Zones) is an area where wind generation facilities will be installed and from which transmission facilities will be built to various other areas of the state to deliver renewable power to end-user consumers in the most cost-effective manner. The CREZ project is the Public Utility Commission (PUC) of Texas’ response to a public mandate to increase renewable energy in Texas to serve the electric needs in the state. The Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 7 in 1999, which restructured the state’s electric industry and allowed LCRA to offer transmission services to other utilities throughout Texas. As a result of SB 7, the Texas Legislature established a renewable portfolio standard for electric power generation, with the intent to install more than 2,000 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity from renewable energy technologies by Jan. 1, 2009. Through Senate Bill 20 (SB 20), in 2005 the Texas Legislature raised the amount of renewable power genera
