Wind Power

SWEPCO takes bold leap forward with Okahoma project

Southwestern Electric Power Co. is taking a great leap of faith—and at considerable expense—into the future of energy generation.

On Wednesday, the company announced a project to construct one of the largest wind farms in the U.S. The Oklahoma facility will be capable of generating 6 million mega-watt hours of electricity annually.

SWEPCO will also participate in building a 350-mile transmission line to ensure the power gets to its customers.

The Wind Catcher Energy Connection Project is expected to cost $4.5 billion, but the company said it will save consumers about $5 billion over 25 years.

As an added economic bonus, many of the components for the wind farm will be manufactured in Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana.

There are still some hoops to go through as the company deals with regulators. We wish them the best in this effort.

Alternative energy is somewhat controversial. But it shouldn’t be.

Right now we still rely on oil, coal and natural gas for most of our energy needs. They are the most cost-effective fuels at present. Alternative energy such as wind and solar has come under criticism as being too inefficient, too costly and too dependent on public fund and tax breaks to be practical.

That’s true to a certain extent—for now. As technology improves, alternative energy will become much more practical. And the sooner we get serious, the sooner that will happen. We can sit back and say it can’t be done or we can do it. It looks like SWEPCO has chosen the latter path.

None of us is likely to see the day when wind or solar accounts for most of our power, but with the right mix of alternative energy we can double or triple the life of our carbon-based reserves. In our view, it’s a goal well worth pursuing.