OG&E plans to quadruple wind power

[metro]

OG&E aims to quadruple wind power production
The Journal Record
October 31, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY – OG&E will quadruple its wind power production in the next four years in western Oklahoma, OGE Energy President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Pete Delaney said Tuesday.

In his address to the Downtown Rotary Club, Delaney said OG&E will increase its wind power to about 770 megawatts. OG&E currently has 170 megawatts of wind power.

A major transmission line project from Oklahoma City to Woodward, and then on to Guymon, will be built. It would allow easy transmission from isolated areas of far northwestern Oklahoma. The construction of the Oklahoma City-to-Woodward line would begin in early 2008.“It will require the approval of the regional transmission authority and the support of our elected officials to become a reality,’” he said. He said the line and wind generators will give many OG&E customers a choice of up to 100 percent “green power.”

OG&E is looking to the state’s high winds. Oklahoma is the sixth-windiest state, he said. OG&E will likely be in a partnership with other utilities on the project, he said.“The significant amount of wind in western Oklahoma is a largely untapped resource that is in increasing demand in Oklahoma and across the nation,” said Delaney. “

We have been working on plans for some time now to significantly increase OG&E’s wind power production over the next four years.”Oklahoma would climb as high as third in wind power production if the plan is followed through. Only Texas and Oklahoma would have more wind power. (I'm adding this iin but does this make any sense?)

Delaney stressed that timely wind power development is dependent on getting transmission lines in place to be able to transmit the power from remote western parts of the state to population centers where the power is needed.

In addition to addressing OG&E’s future, Delaney paid homage to its past. “It’s hard to be here and not think of Steve Moore,” he said. “He was an inspiration to all of us. We saw him out there day after day, and he was at a board meeting two days before his death.”Moore died on Sept. 22 after a long battle with cancer. Delaney was elected as chairman and CEO the following day.


OGE Energy CEO Pete Delaney speaks to the Downtown Rotary Club on Tuesday. (Photo by Jeremy Scott)

[bombermwc]

I hope it goes through. It's way better than the coal crap they were planning on.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Yay! wind power!

[drumsncode]

Makes you wonder why they didn't come up with this plan before they tried to get us to pay for another power plant. I don't trust utility companies, but I'm glad to see wind power is winning the day. If there's anything we have in Oklahoma, it's tons of wind.

Maybe someday I can go all-electric in my house, and thumb my nose at all the fees and charges that ONG heaps on my bill before they ever get to the gas I used.

[okclee]

Well, what do you know. Okla. says no to the coal plant and OGE complains and says there is no alternatives. Now they are going to use more wind power. It is amazing what actually happens when the city or state takes a stand and says no we want something better.

The state of Okla and Okc need to take more stands against all of the big corp. and demand better.

[Martin]

i'm not so sure that this is an alternative to the proposed coal plant. the increase only adds 600 megawatts of power to oge's capacity whereas the proposed coal plant would have added 950. besides that, the output generated by wind would vary greatly with weather conditions so the '600' number is likely in peak conditions. i therefore see this as more of a pr move rather than a true increase of reliable capacity.

-M

[jbrown84]

It IS an alternative. No one said the alternatives would be exactly equal to what the coal-fired plant could do. This takes care of part of that need, and the rest will have to come from elsewhere.

[metro]

Exactly jbrown, and given mmm's critique, even if 600mw is peak capacity, say it's 450mw at average capacity, that's still half of what the coal plant was proposing, that's alot of greenhouse gas and coal that won't be emitted into our air and water. PLUS, it's a renewable energy, that we won't have to find an alternative to.

[drumsncode]

Well, what do you know. Okla. says no to the coal plant and OGE complains and says there is no alternatives. Now they are going to use more wind power. It is amazing what actually happens when the city or state takes a stand and says no we want something better.

The state of Okla and Okc need to take more stands against all of the big corp. and demand better.

Beautifully said. It seems like corporations around here just get anything they want anymore, and it's refreshing to see something different happen for a change.

There are hundreds more windy acres out in Western Oklahoma. That place is the Saudi Arabia of wind. Plus, think of how small a crew a wind-farm needs compared to a coal-fired power plant...it has to be a huge difference.

[Martin]

it is an alternative.

re-reading what i posted, i was a bit ambiguous in my use of 'alternative.' i don't think oge is necessarily pitching this as an alternative to the coal plant given the advertised capacity. i think this is an unrelated project rather than plan 'b' for the opposed coal plant.

i'm not arguing that wind power isn't a viable alternative in energy production. other than the fluctations in capacity previously mentioned, it seems like a decent idea given that it's a cheaper/cleaner method of producing energy.

-M

[BG918]

I would love to see all of Great Plains covered in wind farms generating enough electricity to power the majority of central U.S. cities. Leave the east and west coast cities to deal with nuclear, gas, or coal power. Good to see OG+E leading the way.

[bombermwc]

And lets not forget that that 950 megawatts that they wanted to build, wasn't even for current use. The grid handles it's current load fine, with a surplus. The plant was for future growth in the state that doesn't neccessarily need all 950 megawatts. The 600 that wind can provide (or even less) will still give that much more than is needed at current time. So should we need to increase our supply later, we can always build more wind power somewhere else...and NOT push more smog into the air.

[HOT ROD]

I agree BG, It would be great if OK would build enough wind farms to cover all of the state's needs, then have the gas fired power plants for fluctuations and to sell to other states. Get rid of coal altogether!!

Oh, as for your comment about the coasts; we run hydro-electric power here, almost as clean but much more reliable/powerful than wind!! california/nevada does also. it is the east coast that runs nuclear,oil,gas,coal.