SHREVEPORT, La., Dec. 18,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwestern Electric Power Co.
(SWEPCO), a subsidiary of American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP), is
excited to announce the ongoing development of several new
generation projects, pending regulatory approval. These
initiatives are designed to enhance SWEPCO's diverse energy
portfolio by adding natural gas facilities alongside new wind and
solar farms, addressing the growing capacity demands of our
customers in a cost-effective manner.
As part of the company's vision to improve customers' lives with
reliable and affordable power, today's announcement includes future
development of a 450-Megawatt (MW) natural gas plant to be located
at a previously retired plant site in Hallsville, Texas. Natural gas is the leading
fuel for electric generation nationwide, accounting for 48% of
SWEPCO's existing power generation portfolio. Its turbines offer a
reliable and dispatchable energy source, capable of ramping up
within minutes.
Due in large part to the evolving reserve requirements set by
the Southwest Power Pool, SWEPCO anticipates an increasing capacity
need. Integrating these generation plants is essential to meet
customer needs both now and in the future.
New Proposed Natural Gas Projects:
- 450-MW Hallsville Natural Gas Plant: SWEPCO is
initiating a transformative project at the site of the retired H.W.
Pirkey Power Plant. This facility is expected to begin operations
in 2027, pending regulatory approval from utility regulators in
Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, as detailed in filings submitted on
Dec. 17. The Hallsville Natural Gas
Plant will feature two General Electric combustion gas turbine
generators and will utilize existing water intake structures and
site infrastructure to minimize project costs.
- 1,053-MW Welsh Natural Gas Conversion Project: On
Dec. 17, SWEPCO also submitted
filings for a fuel conversion project at the Welsh Power Plant,
located northwest of Cason, Texas.
Pending regulatory approval, this initiative will convert the
existing coal-fired boilers of Units 1 and 3 to burn natural gas,
with Unit 1 conversion anticipated in 2028 and Unit 3 in 2027.
Renewable Projects Under Construction
- 200-MW Diversion Wind Farm: Located in Baylor County, Texas and scheduled to begin
operations in December 2024.
- 598-MW Wagon Wheel Wind Facility: This project, spanning
Garfield, Kingfisher, Logan, Payne,
and Noble counties in Oklahoma, is making steady progress, with
officials estimating it to be operational in December 2025.
- 72.5-MW Rocking R Solar Facility: SWEPCO's first utility
scale solar energy resource is nearing completion in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. SWEPCO will not own
this facility and will instead purchase the output of the facility
via a purchase power agreement. The solar farm will generate enough
energy to power approximately 12,000 homes each year.
Through these strategic initiatives, SWEPCO is committed to
ensuring a reliable energy supply while effectively meeting the
evolving needs of our customers. "The future growth of new
technologies and continued service to our customers are priorities
that will require a diverse generation portfolio," stated
Brett Mattison, SWEPCO President and
Chief Operating Officer. "As we enter this era of technological
transformation, our customers need an energy system capable of
delivering reliable, affordable, and environmentally sustainable
power whenever and wherever it is needed. Each of these projects
represents an important addition to our generation fleet in service
to our customers."
In addition to these projects, SWEPCO has selected a short-term
capacity agreement with a natural gas facility in Texas as part of a competitive bid process.
The agreement will help serve as a bridge to more permanent
resource additions.
"Through these endeavors, SWEPCO remains dedicated to providing
a robust energy supply that meets the dynamic electricity demands
of the communities we serve," Mattison added.
About Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO)
We deliver safe, reliable and affordable power to more than half a
million homes and businesses in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. Our 1,400 employees power today's
necessities and inspire tomorrow's possibilities. You'll see us
improving communities, promoting sustainability and building grid
resiliency throughout our territory, spanning more than 25,000
distribution line miles. Our work in energy efficiency has been
repeatedly recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy, which
honored us as an ENERGY STAR® 2023 Partner of the Year for
Sustained Excellence. We recognize that innovative approaches to
workforce development are necessary to effectively recruit
qualified, diverse talent in today's competitive labor market and
this includes a commitment to building a diverse and skilled
workforce through partnerships to grow the talent pipeline. We're
proud to be named Texas Workforce Commission's 2023 Employer of
Excellence and to receive the 2023 Curt Eysink Excellence in
Workplace Development award from the Louisiana Community and Technical College
System. Because we produce and deliver one of the most powerful
forces on earth, we keep the safety and well-being of our customers
and employees at the forefront, always. We are proud of the Million
Work Hours Safety Award from the Arkansas Department of Labor
Licensing and Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission on behalf
of our Flint Creek Power Plant for working 4 million hours without
a lost-time accident. We believe we can deliver reliable
electricity while protecting the environment. Our work to support
habitat conservation was recently recognized by the Wildlife
Habitat Council Conservation (WHC) who awarded us a Silver
Certification for supporting sustainable ecosystems at our Eagle
Watch Nature Trail. SWEPCO is an American Electric Power (Nasdaq:
AEP) company. SWEPCO's headquarters are in Shreveport, LA. News releases and other
information about SWEPCO can be found at SWEPCO.com. Connect with
us by following Facebook.com/SWEPCO, Twitter.com/SWEPCOnews,
Instagram.com/swepco, Youtube.com/SWEPCOtv and
LinkedIn.com/company/swepco.
About American Electric Power (AEP)
Our team at
American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) is committed to improving our
customers' lives with reliable, affordable power. We are investing
$54 billion from 2025 through 2029 to
enhance service for customers and support the growing energy needs
of our communities. Our nearly 16,000 employees operate and
maintain the nation's largest electric transmission system with
40,000 line miles, along with more than 225,000 miles of
distribution lines to deliver energy to 5.6 million customers in 11
states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity
producers with approximately 29,000 megawatts of diverse generating
capacity. We are focused on safety and operational excellence,
creating value for our stakeholders and bringing opportunity to our
service territory through economic development and community
engagement. Our family of companies includes AEP Ohio, AEP Texas,
Appalachian Power (in Virginia,
West Virginia and Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky
Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power
Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas
Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, which provides
innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. AEP is
headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.
For more information, visit aep.com.
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SOURCE American Electric Power