Public Service Company of Oklahoma settles on Fuel-Free Power Plan case

Published on April 13, 2023 by Chris Galford

© Shutterstock

Under a proposed settlement between Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) and five other parties, the company would add 999.5 MW of renewable energy to its generation mix in 2025 and decrease monthly bills beginning the following year.

In this Fuel-Free Power Plan case, yet to be reviewed by an administrative law judge from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC), PSO’s more than 568,000 customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma would be affected. Currently, the company runs approximately 3,800 MW of generating capacity, so a 999.5 MW addition would be a major influx of clean energy.

“PSO’s Fuel-Free Power Plan is a balanced approach that enables PSO to continue providing reliable, affordable power to our customers and reduce price volatility from fuel,” Leigh Anne Strahler, PSO president and COO, said. “We appreciate the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s Public Utility Division and other interested parties recognizing the benefits this plan will provide for our customers and moving it forward for the Commission’s consideration.”

For the average residential customer using 1,100 kW hours per month, the new plan would initially add about $1.95 per month to their bills beginning in mid-2025. However, a 64-cent decrease would follow in early 2026 owing to federal tax incentives and lower fuel costs. These would offset some of the costs of launching the new facilities.

However, all of this will depend on the administrative law judge, who will in turn make a recommendation to the OCC commission members to either accept, reject or revise the final order.