Southwestern Electric Power Co an American Electric Power company announced plans to add 810 MW of wind energy by 2022. This proposal supports SWEPCO’s long-term plan of significantly increasing its use of more environmentally friendly energy sources, such as wind and solar. In filings, SWEPCO seeks approval of the proposal from utility regulators in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. The proposal is also subject to review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Mr Malcolm Smoak, SWEPCO president and chief operating officer said that “Our long-range plan moves SWEPCO toward a cleaner energy future with more low-cost, renewable energy as part of our diverse energy mix. Along with the environmental benefits, this additional wind energy will save customers money for years to come, helping families, businesses and the local economy.”
SWEPCO’s long-term strategy calls for more than one-third of the energy required by customers to be generated from wind and solar resources. Under this long-term plan, coal-fueled generation drops from 83% to 44% of the company’s resource mix. Wind energy increases from 9% to 26%, and solar is introduced and grows to 10%. Natural gas grows from 7% to 19%.
SWEPCO is moving toward its renewable energy targets with the proposed addition of 810 MW of wind generation – enough to power 200,000 homes.
Mr Smoak said that “Our customers want cleaner energy. Many have renewable energy and sustainability goals of their own, and this addition of wind energy to SWEPCO’s resource mix will help them meet those goals.”
Under SWEPCO’s proposal, customers will save an estimated USD 2 billion over the 30-year expected life of the wind facilities.
Source : Stratagic Reasearch Institute, Steelguru
