AEP is cancelling the 2GW Wind Catcher project, following the Public Utility Commission of Texas’ decision not to approve the scheme.
PUCT denied AEP subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power Company’s proposed 70% ownership of the project on 26 July on cost grounds.
Another AEP subsidiary, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, would have owned the remaining 30%.
The 2GW project, which would have also included a 563km transmission link to supply AEP customers in Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma, had been approved by regulators in Arkansas and Louisiana.
A decision was pending from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
AEP chief executive Nicholas Akins said: “We are disappointed that we will not be able to move forward with Wind Catcher, which was a great opportunity to provide more clean energy, lower electricity costs and a more diverse energy resource mix for our customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
“To realise the full benefits of Wind Catcher for customers, timely approvals were required from all jurisdictions so we could complete the project by the end of 2020 and be eligible for 100% of the federal production tax credit.
“We want to thank our employees and our partners for all of their work on the development of the Wind Catcher project.”
Image: Pixabay
AEP cancels Wind Catcher
By EBS