SWEPCO stated that the minimum nameplate rating for a proposal should be 100MW and they must be submitted by 1 March this year. As part of the RfP, the company will acquire new or existing projects that qualify for at least 80% of federal Production Tax Credit (PTC).
The company also stated that the projects must be located in and interconnected to, the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) regional grid in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas or Oklahoma.
The projects that are selected through the RfP process will be reviewed for regulatory approval by the Arkansas Public Service Commission, Louisiana Public Service Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The RFP was issued by American Electric Power Service (AEPSC) on behalf of SWEPCO.
Presently, SWEPCO is serving its customers with 469MW of wind energy from Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas through multiple power purchase agreements (PPAs).
SWEPCO president and chief operating officer Malcolm Smoak said: “SWEPCO continues to see strong customer interest in more renewable energy to meet their sustainability and renewable energy goals.
“At the same time, SWEPCO is seeking proposals that will save customers money and further diversify our energy resource mix.”
American Electric Power’s (AEP) subsidiary SWEPCO, headquartered in Shreveport, Louisiana, serves 535,000 customers in western Arkansas, northwest and central Louisiana, northeast Texas and the Texas Panhandle.
AEP plans to invest $24bn in 2018 through 2021 to rebuild and enhance aging infrastructure, and add advanced technologies to the energy system.
In July last year, AEP had canceled the Wind Catcher project, after the Public Utility Commission of Texas denied approval for the project. The project received approval from the Arkansas Public Service Commission, Louisiana Public Service Commission and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
This $4.5bn Wind Catcher project included 2GW of wind farms under construction in the Oklahoma Panhandle and construction of about 563km dedicated generation tie line to the Tulsa area.
