Oncor plans to announce today a $100 million deal to buy steel towers from Haltom City-based Falcon Steel for a new transmission line to bring West Texas wind power to North Texas.

The deal represents hundreds of "green jobs," and isn't dependent on federal stimulus money.

Oncor, the power line division of Energy Future Holdings, will buy 3,800 poles made of recycled steel for around $100 million, depending on final plans for the line, spokeswoman Carol Peters said.

Falcon, a steel fabricator, will devote 160 of its 298 employees in Haltom City to the Oncor contract.

Falcon will buy the recycled steel from Nucor Steel's mill in Jewett, Texas. The mill had reduced hours of operation because of the troubled economy, and the Oncor deal will boost production, Peters said.

The contract is a small slice of a $5 billion plan to build transmission lines to bring West Texas wind power to North Texas and the Houston area. Oncor will build around $1.34 billion of the lines.

The Public Utility Commission approved the transmission line project before the federal government announced incentives for new power lines to carry wind-generated electricity. Oncor executives say they will apply for federal stimulus money for the wind lines, as well as for other projects, but don't yet know whether the projects qualify.

The PUC aims to go ahead with the wind transmission lines, with or without federal aid.

Consumers would ultimately pay for the new lines through a fee on retail electricity providers. Federal money could reduce the fee.