wiredinUSA July 2020

Wind power sharing with $2 billion investment M A K I N G T H E NEWS

in early June. The project remains under regulatory review in Texas.

American Electric Power (AEP) has received approvals to acquire the entire planned 1,485MW of wind power generation in Oklahoma, with an investment of around $2 billion. The generated energy will serve Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) and Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) customers. The Louisiana Public Service Commission approved a settlement agreement that authorizes SWEPCO to add 810MW of wind energy. The commission approved an option that could increase Louisiana’s allocation to an estimated 464MW from the original 268MW, if Texas does not also approve the SWEPCO proposal. The Arkansas Public Service Commission also accepted an option to increase its allocation when it approved the project

In February, PSOreceivedfinal Oklahoma Corporation Commission approval to acquire 675MW of the project. Regulatory Commission (FERC) has also approved the acquisition. “[The] decision by the Louisiana Public Service Commission enables us to move forward with the North Central wind projects at full scale, and invest in lowcost wind energy to benefit our customers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma,” said Nicholas K Akins, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer. “We will continue to seek approval to provide a share of this renewable energy to our SWEPCO customers in Texas, as we believe the projects offer significant benefits to customers across our SWEPCO footprint.” The Federal Energy

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wiredInUSA - July 2020