North Central Traverse Wind Farm 2021

Developed by Invenergy, Traverse is expected to generate 3.8 million MWh annually for AEP’s Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) and Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) customers in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The 356-turbine facility spans Blaine and Custer counties in north-central Oklahoma.

Traverse is the third and final wind project to compose the North Central Energy Facilities, which provide 1,484 MW of clean energy and will save customers an estimated $3 billion in electricity costs over the next 30 years.

“Traverse is part of the next chapter in AEP’s transition to a clean energy future. The commercial operation of Traverse — the largest single wind farm ever built at once in North America — and the completion of the North Central Energy Facilities is a significant milestone in our efforts to provide clean, reliable power to our customers while saving them money,” said Nicholas K. Akins, AEP chairman, president and CEO. “AEP is investing $8.2 billion in regulated renewables and nearly $25 billion in the transmission and distribution systems through 2026 to modernize the grid, enhance reliability and resilience and deliver more emissions-free energy to our customers. Including North Central, we plan to add approximately 16,000 MW of wind and solar in our regulated states by 2030 as part of our goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”

The North Central Energy Facilities also include the 199-MW Sundance and 287-MW Maverick wind projects, which began commercial operation in April and September 2021 respectively.

News item from American Electric Power

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Located southwest of Enid, Oklahoma, Maverick is one of three wind projects that compose the North Central Energy Facilities, which will provide 1,485 MW of clean energy to customers of AEP’s Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) and Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) subsidiaries.

Invenergy is developing the North Central Energy Facilities, and PSO and SWEPCO assume ownership of each of the three wind projects following their commercial operation.

In addition to Maverick, North Central Energy Facilities include the 199-MW Sundance project, which began commercial operation in April 2021, and the 999-MW Traverse project, which is expected to begin operation in early 2022.

“Maverick’s commercial operation brings us one step closer to the completion of North Central and to delivering more clean, reliable energy to our customers,” said Nicholas K. Akins, AEP chairman, president and CEO. “North Central’s three wind projects will create enough energy to power 440,000 homes and will be a valuable asset in AEP’s generation portfolio as we work to add nearly 16,600 MW of regulated wind and solar resources through 2030.”

The combined North Central wind projects represent a $2 billion investment in the U.S. economy through jobs in manufacturing, construction, operations and maintenance, in addition to generating property tax revenue and lease payments for landowners.

News item from American Electric Power

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North Central includes three wind generation facilities located in north-central Oklahoma. AEP’s SWEPCO and PSO operating units announced July 15, 2019, that they would seek regulatory approvals to purchase the three wind projects. One project is expected to be completed by the end of 2020. The other two projects will be completed by the end of 2021.

The Louisiana Public Service Commission approved a settlement agreement that authorizes SWEPCO to add 810 MW of wind energy to serve its customers. The Commission approved an option that could increase Louisiana’s allocation to an estimated 464 MW from the original 268 MW, if Texas does not also approve the SWEPCO proposal. The Arkansas Public Service Commission also accepted an option to increase its allocation when it approved the project earlier this month. The project remains under regulatory review in Texas, and SWEPCO will continue to seek that approval to allocate some of this renewable energy to benefit its customers in Texas.

PSO received final Oklahoma Corporation Commission approval Feb. 20, 2020, of a settlement agreement to acquire 675 MW of the project. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) also has approved the acquisition.

“Today’s decision by the Louisiana Public Service Commission enables us to move forward with the North Central wind projects at full scale and invest in low-cost wind energy to benefit our customers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma,” said Nicholas K. Akins, AEP chairman, president and CEO. “As AEP continues to add new clean energy to our generation portfolio, this investment is expected to save our customers approximately $3 billion over the next 30 years while supporting economic development in our communities. We will continue to seek approval to provide a share of this renewable energy to our SWEPCO customers in Texas, as we believe the projects offer significant benefits to customers across our SWEPCO footprint.”

AEP continues to make significant investments in renewable energy to serve its customers. The company’s regulated integrated resource plans call for the addition of more than 8,000 MW of wind and solar and 1,600 MW of natural gas between 2020 and 2030.

News item from AEP

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