AEP cancels Oklahoma Wind Catcher project
American Electric Power (AEP) canceled its 4.5 billion Wind Catcher project in Oklahoma after the Public Utility Commission of Texas denied approval of the 2,000-megawatt wind farm.
The Arkansas Public Service Commission, Louisiana Public Service Commission, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had already approved the project. A decision by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission was still pending.
“We are disappointed that we will not be able to move forward with Wind Catcher, which was a great opportunity to provide more clean energy, lower electricity costs, and a more diverse energy resource mix for our customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas,” Nicholas Akins, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer, said.
Akins said approvals were required from all jurisdictions to complete the project by the end of 2020 and be eligible for 100 percent of the federal production tax credit.
“We want to thank our employees and our partners for all of their work on the development of the Wind Catcher project,” Akins added.
Columbus, Ohio-based AEP said it would continue to invest in clean energy and pursue opportunities to provide the new energy resources. Specifically, the company will invest $24 billion in 2018 through 2021 to rebuild and enhance aging infrastructure, upgrade technologies to the energy system, and create a more reliable grid for customers.
AEP is one of the largest electricity producers in the United States with approximately 33,000 megawatts of generating capacity, including 4,200 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP owns the Public Service Company of Oklahoma and Southwestern Electric Power Company, which would have operated the Wind Catcher project.
