Brattle Client Receives Approval to Move Forward with 1,500 MW Wind Power Project in Oklahoma

The Ohio-based utility group American Electric Power (AEP) has received the necessary approvals from three state regulatory commissions to move forward with its North Central Wind project, which comprises three wind farms in Oklahoma with a cumulative capacity of approximately 1,500 MW. Brattle Principal Johannes Pfeifenberger and Senior Associate Akarsh Sheilendranath recently testified on behalf of AEP’s North Central Wind project, which is estimated to provide approximately $3 billion in reduced power costs to customers over its 30‑year life.

Mr. Pfeifenberger and Mr. Sheilendranath provided testimony on the reasonableness of the company’s RFP bid-evaluation process, assisted AEP in analyzing customer benefits of the North Central project across a range of future scenarios, and analyzed congestion costs of wind plants in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP).

On July 2, 2020, the Public Utility Commission of Texas denied AEP’s request to utilize a portion of the project’s wind energy output for the benefit of its customers in Texas. The decision will not affect the project, however, as its full scale has already been approved by Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma regulators.