Route being finalized for $4.5B Oklahoma wind farm project

TULSA, Okla.—The route for a 350-mile power line that’s part of a $4.5 billion wind farm project in Oklahoma is being finalized.

The Wind Catcher Energy Connection project, which also includes two substations, is a joint effort by the Public Service Company of Oklahoma and Southwestern Electric Power Co.

The wind farm would be built on 300,000 acres in Cimarron and Texas counties in the Oklahoma Panhandle, with a power line connecting the farm to Tulsa. The wind farm would include about 800 wind turbines.

The project would bring 2,000 megawatts of energy to customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma, and to parts of Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Plans for three portions of the power line’s route are now open to public comment. One section being debated is east of Pawnee and passes between Cleveland and Hominy. Another stretch lies north of Woodward. The final section in question is located northwest of Enid.

The Public Service Company of Oklahoma plans to hold open houses this month in Enid, Woodward and Pawnee to get more feedback from area landowners. Attendees will be able to speak with project team members, review maps of the project and provide input, company officials said.

Project officials have been studying multiple segments and alignments for the power line since October. The current proposed route follows a more “northerly route among the line routes considered,” according to PSO.

The project will bring lowcost renewable energy to the state, provide jobs and create new tax revenue, PSO officials said.

It’s expected to be complete by 2020, project officials said.