Agricultural News
Oklahoma Wind Power Gets a Vote of Confidence by Southwest Power Pool
Wed, 28 Apr 2010 9:48:21 CDT
House Speaker Chris Benge and Corporation Commissioner Jeff Cloud are pleased with the results of a vote in recent days that will be beneficial in moving several electrical transmission projects that are essential to developing wind power in Oklahoma. Benge's office issued the following News Release about this approval from the Southwest Power Pool.
With wind energy development central to the discussion, the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) this week moved a step closer to realizing plans to expand the region's electric transmission grid.
Acting on a motion advanced by Oklahoma Corporation Commission Vice Chairman Jeff Cloud, the SPP's advisory Regional State Committee (RSC) voted overwhelmingly Monday to support a package of six new transmission projects, four of which would be located in Oklahoma. The entire package is projected to lead to an investment of more than $1 billion, of which an estimated $350 million or more would be in Oklahoma.
Tuesday, the SPP Board of Directors gave its conditional approval to the projects. The condition is that moving ahead with actual construction would be subject to first achieving Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval of an innovative method to allocate costs of the highest voltage projects across the multi-state SPP region based on projected benefits also being derived across the region. That cost allocation proposal last week was submitted to FERC for its review and approval.
"Such new investment will lead to job creation and other benefits," said Commissioner Cloud, a member of the SPP Regional State Committee. "And it also will strengthen Oklahoma's position as an energy leader, building on its historic position as a major oil and natural gas producer by next expanding its role in development of clean, renewable wind energy that will benefit both this state and the region," Cloud said.
On top of the SPP Board and RSC actions this week, the FERC's cost allocation approval, which project proponents hope will be forthcoming within the next few months or sooner, would encourage additional investment in Oklahoma's rich wind energy resources.
"Oklahoma is so blessed with natural resources: oil, natural gas, water, coal, solar and wind," said House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa. "This is a great step forward as we seek to further develop our wind resources in Oklahoma."
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