Oncor's System Resiliency Plan


Critical Investments Focused on Withstanding and Rapidly Recovering from Extreme Weather, Other Events



Oncor’s first System Resiliency Plan (SRP) was approved by the Public.    Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) on November 14, 2024, making way for accelerated grid upgrades and enhancements. This will help substantially reduce the impact and duration of severe weather outages and address other physical and cybersecurity risks to Oncor’s electric grid.

 

With this plan, Oncor is investing approximately $3 billion in the resiliency of its distribution system over the next four years. This will allow our system to better withstand and more quickly recover from a range of extreme weather and other events.

Once implemented, these efforts will help decrease the amount of infrastructure damage that can lead to customer outages, and improve our ability to get power back on faster after an outage. Additionally, they will decrease long-term costs for customers by reducing expensive emergency repairs after severe weather events.

 

To develop our first SRP, Oncor analyzed more than two decades of past weather, damage and location data, and its impact to customers. We used this information to identify the priorities and investments needed across our diverse service area to have the greatest positive impact on service reliability and resiliency. As a result of this targeted approach, Oncor recognizes that this initial SRP will not reach every city within our vast service area. We are committed to reaching additional communities with future SRPs.

 

 

The approval of Oncor’s first SRP marks an historic opportunity for us to expand and accelerate our efforts to modernize and harden our infrastructure against extreme weather and other threats.

These investments have been methodically selected to have the greatest impact in proactively addressing potential outage causes. And, even more important to the people we serve, it will also substantially reduce outage minutes. 

I appreciate the work of Texas’ state leaders in prioritizing grid resiliency measures and the PUCT’s thorough review of our plan. We will start implementing our SRP immediately and will keep customers informed of our progress in their communities.

–Allen Nye, Oncor CEO


 

SRP Status Update 

While much of the initial SRP efforts focused on analysis and planning, work has already taken place across the system, and the pace of this work is expected to ramp up significantly in the second quarter of 2025.

 

The following actions have been completed as of April 1, 2025:

Program underway to conduct 20,000 miles of vegetation risk analysis in 2025 through advanced aerial surveying. Around 6,400 miles of data analysis has been completed YTD

  • Conducted resiliency assessments across 1,600 miles, including over 45,000 poles (primarily targeting wildfire mitigation zones) to scope upgrade requirements that will ensure poles meet extreme wind and ice loading conditions.
  • Replaced nearly 1,300 poles and over 1,200 crossarms to meet more resilient design standards        
  • Ground clearing of vegetation around more than 9,400 poles to mitigate ignition risk within high wildfire threat zones

Investments are focused in the following areas:


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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


  • Oncor’s SRP includes approximately $2.8 billion in investments and $500 million in related costs, including the following focus areas:
  •  Overhead and Underground Resiliency and Modernization – Modernize and harden overhead systems (poles, crossarms, lightning protection and capacity) and underground systems (cable injection/replacement and switchgear automation).
  • Continued Optimization of Distribution Automation – Enable, expand and optimize distribution automation through new ties, capacity and intelligent switches. Distribution automation includes the use of various smart equipment that sense power flow, redistribute load, identify faults and in some cases, restore power automatically.
  • Expanded Vegetation Management (“VM+”) – Expand the existing Vegetation Management program – including more than doubling vegetation maintenance activities across the system - and leverage remote-sensing capabilities such as satellite and laser imaging, detection and ranging. Even one tree can affect power for an entire neighborhood or more, and our well experienced VM team, including certified arborists, follow industry and scientific best practices to balance safety and reliability needs with tree health and aesthetics.
  • Enhanced Wildfire Mitigation – Enhance wildfire mitigation efforts. The total investment includes the implementation of overheard and underground resiliency and modernization and expanded distribution automation measures in areas at the highest risk for wildfires. The SRP allows Oncor to advance wildfire mitigation strategies through additional investments in fire safe device deployment, advanced wildfire risk modeling, and strengthening, modernization and protection of assets in wildfire mitigation zones.
  • Improved Physical Security – Improve physical security, including remote asset monitoring and other protection.
  • Enhanced Cybersecurity Risk Mitigation – Enhance cybersecurity risk mitigation, enhance and secure Oncor’s digital backbone infrastructure and other measures.

Focus Area

Examples of Planned Activities

Overhead System Resiliency and Modernization

  • Upgrade (replace or reinforce) poles to meet more resilient standards;
  • Install enhanced lightning protection at various locations along the distribution system;
  • Replace wooden crossarms with fiberglass crossarms;
  • Upgrade power lines, with an emphasis on lines susceptible to weather damage;
  • Replace transformers nearing capacity; and
  • Replace equipment vulnerable to extreme weather conditions with modern, more resilient units.

Underground System Resiliency and Modernization

  • Rehabilitate or replace legacy design cable;
  • Conduct condition assessments of cable that serves large amounts of customers (and upgrading as needed);
  • Replace equipment vulnerable to extreme weather conditions with modern, more resilient units,
  • Replace manual switchgears with remote-operated switchgears.

Continued Optimization of Distribution Automation

  • Install additional automated devices to enhance distribution automation (DA), which can help detect faults, automatically restore power, and reroute power in the event of an outage so fewer customers are affected;
  • Replace legacy circuit breakers with modern units; and
  • Upgrade or add substation transformers to enhance capacity.

Expanded Vegetation Management (“VM+”)

  • More than double our vegetation management (tree trimming) activities by adding 20,000 miles of non-mainline powerlines to our proactive VM schedule over the course of the SRP; and 
  • Use remote sensing technology such as LiDAR, and satellite imagery to better identify needs and assess and plan related VM work.

Enhanced Wildfire
Mitigation

  • Implement a state-of-the-art wildfire risk modeling platform that, among other things, will:
  • More precisely identify areas of significant wildfire risk based on land risk (burn probability and fire behavior index), potential consequences (population, building and acreage exposure), and Oncor asset ignition probability.
  • Alert Oncor of infrastructure that poses a wildfire risk so Oncor can then proactively address the risk;
  • Enhance Oncor’s forecasting of fire-weather conditions; and
  • Simulate the spread of an active wildfire to support response.
  • Wrap wooden poles in high-risk areas with fire-retardant material;
  • Clear ground around poles in areas of high wildfire risk to reduce the probability of asset caused ignition;
  • Establish defensible space around critical facilities such as substations and telecommunication towers;
  • Deploy fire-safe devices such as electronic fuses in the place of expulsion type fuses which are an ignition risk; and
  • Rebuild wood-structure substations with current-standard steel structures.

Improved Physical Security & Enhanced Cybersecurity Risk Mitigation

  • Implement various new and expanded measures to further protect our assets from physical and cyber security threats.
  • Due to the sensitive nature of our efforts to protect and maintain our electric grid, we generally do not publish specific security measures.

A comprehensive data-driven approach was used to analyze more than two decades of past weather, damage and location data and its impact across the Oncor service area. We used this information to identify the priorities and investments needed across our diverse service area to have the greatest positive impact on service reliability and resiliency. This includes the plan’s substantial increase in vegetation management near Oncor power lines.

Resiliency efforts will be taking place across Oncor’s service area over the next four years. It will vary based on location and the analysis of past weather, damage and customer impacts. While some components of the SRP may be more visible than others, residents may see an increase of Oncor and contract personnel as these investments are implemented, such as when equipment is being upgraded or additional distribution automation technologies are being installed on spans of poles. Regular project notification processes will be followed throughout the scope of the SRP, such as door hanger cards in advance of nearby tree trimming and engagement with local community/municipal leaders in advance of significant construction work.

In 2023, the Texas Legislature found the state had an interest in promoting the use of system resiliency measures to enable electric infrastructure to better withstand extreme weather conditions. HB 2555, which became law in June 2023, allows utilities like Oncor to file System Resiliency Plans. The PUCT adopted 16 Tex. Admin. Code (TAC) § 25.62 governing the process in January 2024. And in May 2024, Oncor filed its first System SRP with PUCT, receiving approval in November 2024.

SRPs must include at least a three-year period to address identified resiliency risks, annual reporting requirements and the mandatory implementation of each measure in its approved plan, unless granted a good cause exception.



ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

 

For more information on Oncor’s tree trimming and vegetation management practices, including the Tree Pruning Maintenance Schedule, click here.

 

To view Oncor’s SRP filing announcement, click here.

 

To view the full SRP filing (PUCT Docket No. 56545), click here

 

 


Forward-Looking Statements

 

This webpage contains forward-looking statements relating to Oncor within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that are included in this news release, as well as statements made in presentations, in response to questions or otherwise, that address activities, events or developments that Oncor expects or anticipates to occur in the future, including such matters as projections, capital allocation, future capital expenditures, business strategy, competitive strengths, goals, future acquisitions or dispositions, development or operation of facilities, market and industry developments and the growth of Oncor’s business and operations (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as  “intends,” “plans,” “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “will continue,” “is anticipated,” “estimated,” “forecast,” “should,” “projection,” “target,” “goal,” “objective” and “outlook”), are forward-looking statements. Although Oncor believes that in making any such forward-looking statement its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any such forward-looking statement involves risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Factors that could cause Oncor’s actual results to differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements include: legislation, governmental policies and orders, and regulatory actions; legal and administrative proceedings and settlements, including the exercise of equitable powers by courts; weather conditions and other natural phenomena, including any weather impacts due to climate change; acts of sabotage, wars, terrorist activities, cybersecurity attacks, wildfires, fires, explosions, hazards customary to the industry, or other emergency events and the possibility that Oncor may not have adequate insurance to cover losses or third-party liabilities related to any such event; actions by credit rating agencies; health epidemics and pandemics, including their impact on Oncor’s business and the economy in general; interrupted or degraded service on key technology platforms, facilities failures, or equipment interruptions; economic conditions, including the impact of a recessionary environment, inflation, supply chain disruptions, competition for goods and services, service provider availability, and labor availability and cost; unanticipated population growth or decline, or changes in market demand and demographic patterns, particularly in the ERCOT region; ERCOT grid needs and ERCOT market conditions, including insufficient electric capacity within ERCOT or disruptions at power generation facilities that supply power within ERCOT; changes in business strategy, development plans or vendor relationships; changes in interest rates or rates of inflation; significant changes in operating expenses, liquidity needs and/or capital expenditures; inability of various counterparties to meet their financial and other obligations to Oncor, including failure of counterparties to timely perform under agreements; general industry and ERCOT trends; significant decreases in demand or consumption of electricity delivered by Oncor, including as a result of increased consumer use of third-party distributed energy resources or other technologies; changes in technology used by and services offered by Oncor; significant changes in Oncor’s relationship with its employees, including the availability of qualified personnel, and the potential adverse effects if labor disputes or grievances were to occur; changes in assumptions used to estimate costs of providing employee benefits, including pension and retiree benefits, and future funding requirements related thereto; significant changes in accounting policies or critical accounting estimates material to Oncor; commercial bank and financial market conditions, macroeconomic conditions, access to capital, the cost of such capital, and the results of financing and refinancing efforts, including availability of funds and the potential impact of any disruptions in U.S. capital and credit markets; circumstances which may contribute to future impairment of goodwill, intangible or other long-lived assets; financial and other restrictions under Oncor’s debt agreements; Oncor’s ability to generate sufficient cash flow to make interest payments on its debt instruments; and Oncor’s ability to effectively execute its operational strategy.

 

Further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from management’s current projections, forecasts, estimates and expectations is contained in filings made by Oncor with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Specifically, Oncor makes reference to the section entitled “Risk Factors” in its annual and quarterly reports. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as may be required by law, Oncor undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Oncor to predict all of them; nor can it assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.  As such, you should not unduly rely on such forward-looking statements.