American Electric Power's subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power (SWEPCO) has issued a request for proposals (RfP) for wind projects totalling 1,200 MW across the United States. Interested parties have until 1 March 2019 to apply.
Offers will be accepted only for new or existing projects with a capacity of at least 100 MW. They must also be interconnected to the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) regional grid in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas or Oklahoma. The selected wind parks will then be reviewed for regulatory approval by the relevant bodies, namely: Arkansas Public Service Commission, Louisiana Public Service Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The projects are due to come onstream by December 2021.
So far, SWEPCO has power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 469 MW of wind power in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. The company's plans aim at increasing PPAs with renewable energy sources including wind and solar over the next 20 years.