Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) announced it will take comment on additional study segments along two alternative paths to connect the Wind Catcher Energy Connection Project to the electric grid near Tulsa. PSO is reviewing the alternative routes, located on the far eastern segments of the line route, to prevent delays in the project's completion and to protect customer benefits from the project.
The company identified its proposed route for the project in early January and continues to work with local officials and landowners along that route. However, uncertainties along the proposed route may increase the risk of project delays so the company is reviewing other options.
"We continue to move forward with our proposed route, but must explore these options to ensure we complete the project on time and deliver Wind Catcher's full benefits to customers." said John Harper, PSO vice president, external affairs. "In the end, we want to make sure that we made the best decision."
Following the project announcement in 2017, PSO sought feedback from the community through 11 open houses held across northern Oklahoma. Information gleaned from those meetings led to the development of a proposed route.
When the company announced the proposed route in early January, it also announced that it will hold additional open houses in Enid, Woodward and Pawnee to make final refinements to the route. Those open houses will occur Jan. 29, 30 and 31.
The new alternative paths announced today will involve Pawnee, Creek, Tulsa and Noble counties, and the company will hold open houses for landowners in these areas the first week in February.
The open houses are scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. on the following dates and locations:
Monday, Feb. 5 o Glenpool Conference Center, 12205 S. Yukon Avenue, Glenpool
Tuesday, Feb. 6 o White Barn Events, 12875 S. 305th W. Avenue, Bristow
Wednesday, Feb. 7 o Cushing High School, 1700 E. Walnut Street, Cushing
The open house events are set up in a workshop format. Attendees can talk with project team members, review detailed maps and provide input. Electrical planners, engineers, routing experts, right-of-way agents and construction representatives will be present to answer questions. Guests can come and go anytime during the events since there is no formal presentation.
Development of the line route began in the summer of 2017. The overall project is expected to deliver wind energy to customers by the end of 2020. For more information, including a map of the proposed line route, please visit the project website at: https://psoklahoma.com/info/projects/windcatcher/.
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 approximately 3,800 megawatts of generating capacity, and is a significant provider of wind energy in the state.
