Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) is lowering the cost for customers who sign up to receive wind power.
In a July 29 filing at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC), PSO proposed modifications to its existing Green Energy Tariff, known as WindChoice, to reduce the cost for customers who participate in the voluntary program. Today (12/9), the proposal was approved by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, meaning the additional cost for customers who sign up for WindChoice will be reduced by as much as 76 percent beginning January, 2017.
"WindChoice is an important option for customers - particularly those who are environmentally conscious or desire to support renewable energy in Oklahoma," said Scott Ritz, PSO director of Customer Services and Marketing. "Simplifying the tariff's structure will allow customers to receive the renewable benefit from PSO's wind resources at a much lower rate than before, which should make the program even more attractive to customers."
PSO began offering WindChoice in 2011 to allow customers to designate a specific amount of their energy requirement to come from wind. Under the newly-revised WindChoice tariff, not only will subscribers benefit from a much lower rate, they also will be able to choose the exact percentage of their electricity - from one to 100 percent - that comes from PSO's Oklahoma-based renewable wind energy resources.
Currently, approximately 1,000 customers are enrolled in the program, with residential customers accounting for 99 percent of the subscribers.
PSO, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), is an electric utility company serving more than 545,000 customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma. Based in Tulsa, PSO has nearly 3,800 megawatts of generating capacity and is one of the largest distributors of wind energy in the state.
