Full steam ahead for AEP’s $2B wind energy plan, despite Texas PUC denial –

Even though the Public Utility
Commission of Texas last week denied approval of Southwestern Electric Power
Co.’s (SWEPCO) plan to add 309 megawatts (MW) of wind energy to serve Texas
customers, American Electric Power (AEP) has received enough other regulatory
approvals to acquire the entire planned 1,485 MW of North Central wind
generation.

AEP is investing approximately
$2 billion to bring new renewable energy to Public Service Company of Oklahoma
(PSO) customers and SWEPCO customers in Arkansas and Louisiana.

North Central includes three
wind generation facilities located in north central Oklahoma. AEP’s SWEPCO and
PSO operating units announced July 15, 2019, that they would seek regulatory
approvals to purchase the three wind projects. The projects are expected to be
completed over the course of the next two years.

The Arkansas and Louisiana
Public Service Commissions approved the projects in May, and PSO received
approval from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in February. The Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission also approved the acquisitions in February.

PSO will acquire 675 MW of the
North Central wind projects to serve its customers in Oklahoma. The Arkansas
and Louisiana commissions approved options to increase their allocations of
wind energy if another state did not approve the projects. With these options,
an estimated 464 MW will be allocated to Louisiana and 268 MW to Arkansas,
while wholesale customers will benefit from 78 MW for a total of 810 MW that
will serve SWEPCO’s customers.

Related coverage:

SWEPCO
wind project receives regulatory approval in Arkansas

AEP
units looking to invest $2B in 1,500 MW of Oklahoma wind projects

 “We are disappointed that
our SWEPCO customers in Texas will not be able to benefit from the low-cost
wind energy the North Central projects will provide,” said Nicholas K. Akins,
AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer.

“The regulatory approvals we
have received in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and at the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission will allow us to move ahead with the North Central wind
projects at full scale, saving our customers in those states approximately $3
billion over the next 30 years. As we transition to a clean energy future, our
investment in the North Central wind projects supports economic and business
development in our communities and will help our customers meet their renewable
energy goals,” Akins added.

AEP’s regulated integrated
resource plans call for the addition of more than 8,000 MW of wind and solar,
including North Central, and 1,600 MW of natural gas between 2020 and 2030.