Public Service Co. of Oklahoma (PSO), an operating unit of American Electric Power (AEP), has signed long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) for approximately 198 MW of renewable energy from two Oklahoma wind farms.
Through the 20-year agreements, PSO will purchase 98.9 MW from a wind farm in Elk City, Okla., which is being developed by NextEra Energy Resource, and 99 MW from an expansion of Horizon Wind Energy's Blue Canyon facilities, located north of Lawton, Okla. Both sites are expected to be operational by Dec. 31. The agreements are part of PSO's long-term energy supply plan and are subject to approval by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
‘Wind energy can play an important role in our ongoing efforts to balance our customers' demands for electricity with the desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,’ says Michael G. Morris, AEP chairman, president and CEO. ‘With these agreements, AEP has contracted to add 653 MW of renewable wind energy to our generation mix in just the last two years, and we are on target to achieve our voluntary goal of adding 1,000 MW of new renewable generation to serve our customers by 2011.’
Including the new PSO agreements, AEP's generation mix includes 310 MW of wind turbines owned and operated by AEP in Texas and another 1,120 MW of long-term wind energy PPAs, for a total of 1,430 MW of wind energy in the company's generation portfolio.
SOURCE: American Electric Power
