AEP plans to invest US$4.5bn in a 2 GW wind project (US)

The US energy utility American Electric Power (AEP) announced it will invest US$4.5bn in the 2,000 MW Wind Catcher Energy Connection renewable energy project, which is now under construction in Oklahoma. The company Invenergy is contracted to operate and maintain the project. The construction began in 2016 and the project is expected to be operational by mid-2020.



AEP's subsidiaries Public Service Co. of Oklahoma (PSO) and Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO) plan to purchase the plant. The file will be transmitted to the local utility regulators and if the acquisition is successful, they are scheduled to own the project, which will be split as follows: SWEPCO will own 70% (1,400 MW) while PSO will own the remaining 30 % (600 MW). AEP also aims at building a 350-mile (563 km) dedicated, extra-high voltage power line to connect the wind park to the grid and carry power to the city of Tulsa (Oklahoma).



The project is subject to regulatory approvals from the utility regulators in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas as well as from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. PSO and SWEPCO plan to file for approvals to serve their customers with power from the wind farm and for the construction of the dedicated transmission line by the end of July 2017.



In addition to this project, AEP’s subsidiaries also have announced or filed approvals for another 1,350 MW of wind and solar generation assets throughout the US. AEP is based in Ohio (US) and operates in several US States. It reports around 33 GW of generation capacity with about 4.2 GW of renewable energy capacity.