Bill Austin for power

Add solar to the list of energy sources that could be bound for West Texas.

Austin Energy, a community-owned electric utility that serves the city of Austin, Travis County and parts of Williamson County, has leased 438 acres in Reeves County from the Texas General Land Office.

The company has the intention of putting a solar energy array on the property located 26 miles south of Pecos on Highway 17 and 12 miles north of Balmorhea, said Ed Clark, Austin Energy's communication's director.

"We've looked at it," he said of the Reeves County site. "It does have transmission access and high solar potential. It's a fundamental site for solar."

But Clark added Austin Energy is now in the "assessment" stage. Among the issues facing the development is the construction of more transmission lines, which would deliver power to customers in Austin.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has several proposals before the state's public utility commission that would add transmission lines over the next several years. But costs ranging between $2 billion and $6 billion make the project a challenge.

Clark hopes more transmission lines would also help expand Austin Energy's wind power projects. It currently leases wind turbines in five West Texas counties, including Upton County.

Austin Energy will also have to study technology to develop a project. While solar panels may be used, Clark said the company is also looking at concentrated solar energy, in which the sun is used to heat water for running a generator.

"That's a more cost-effective and commercial-size approach," he said.

The project is part of Austin Energy's initiative to install 100 megawatts of solar power by 2020, Clark said.

Although he said it's too early to discuss a price for the project, Clark said the solar array could cost around $300 million. Currently, Texas has a total of six megawatts of solar facilities.

The lease gives Austin Energy, which serves 380,000 customers, the right to use the site for four years.

Clark said he was uncertain how many jobs the project would provide in Reeves County.

Robert Tobias, executive director of the Pecos Economic Development Corp., said, while the project may not be built in Pecos, workers living and shopping there could benefit the city.

"I'm certainly looking forward to communicating with Austin Energy to see how we can partner with them," he said.