The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) Board of Directors in Texas recently approved a $656 million operating budget and $1.8 billion in capital investments for Fiscal Year 2027, funding new water supply development, power generation and broadband expansion.
LCRA manages the lower Colorado River and six Highland Lakes, provides wholesale electricity to Central Texas cooperatives and small towns and operates one of the state’s largest transmission networks.
The authority said its budget and capital improvement plan was its “largest business plan to date, aimed at meeting rising power and water demand in Texas.”
Highlights of the plan include:
- $8.6 billion in transmission projects over the next five years to support the power grid, including a $1.5 billion FY 2027 capital budget for the LCRA Transmission Services Corporation. This includes building additional units and supporting the new Timmerman Power Plant in Caldwell County, which began providing power to the state’s grid in 2025.
- $153 million over the next five years to support tens of millions in dam rehabilitation projects and develop new water supply projects, including building a reservoir in the lower Colorado River basin to increase water supply to the region.
- Upgrading and expanding its fiber network and radio system to connect more communities to broadband fiber services. This includes working with the Kerrville Public Utility Board to build telecommunication infrastructure for a flood warning system in Kerr County, where construction has begun.
Photo by Kris Møklebust from Pexels
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