AEP Texas replacing poles and lines around Devine, a very important part of the corridor

Transmission lines are being updated around Devine by AEP Texas as well as poles. Devine and Pearsall are “an important part of the corridor” that feeds a lot of power to West Texas and Laredo, officials said. This work is part of a 3-year Resiliency Plan. Photo credit: AEPTexas.

Kathleen Calame
Publisher, The Devine News
Crews for AEP Texas have been busy working around Devine the past few months upgrading infrastructure by replacing aging electric poles and wires, doing enhanced vegetation control by aggressive tree trimming and cleaning along power line right of ways, as well as adding new technologies. All to improve overall grid reliability for South and West Texas customers, aimed to shorten outages due to extreme weather, and reduce wildfire risks. They also aim to strengthen the grid for faster power restoration and greater resilience.
In Devine they are upgrading poles and the feeder wire between the substations. Devine is part of a very important corridor with large transmission lines to Pearsall which feeds a lot of power to West Texas and Laredo. Work can be seen on Colonial Parkway, Brown, and main streets Hwy 132 (Teel Drive), and West Hondo Ave (Hwy 173), to name a few.
The area has experienced a lot of population growth, and the $318 million dollar 3-year resiliency plan should help address that and as well as help crews bounce back quickly after a storm with the hardened infrastructure and new technology. The following press releases give additional details:
AEP Texas Advances Resiliency Plan for Stronger Electric Grid
September 22, 2025 AEP Texas continues to make progress on its three-year resiliency plan to strengthen the electric grid and improve its resiliency and reliability for customers across South and West Texas. Contractors have successfully replaced 765 poles and restrung miles of wire in the last few months, and continue focusing on vegetation management.
With engineering efforts nearing 90 percent completion for this year’s projects, the number of active crews will expand to 55 by the end of the year. This ramp-up supports AEP Texas’s 2025 goal of replacing 3,700 poles and 76 miles of wire to meet resiliency standards.
Another area of the resiliency plan focuses on vegetation management. AEP Texas continues its focus clearing vegetation in its rights-of-way to reduce outages caused by tree contact. “Over the next three years, more than…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!