AEP eyeing ‘transmission superhighway’ for wind energy

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/12/01/daily16.html

American Electric Power Company Inc. said Tuesday it is considering a multibillion-dollar project aimed at harnessing wind energy through a “transmission superhighway.”

The Columbus-based utility said it is in the conceptual phase of the proposal, which would require construction of more than 1,000 new miles of transmission lines and cost between $5 billion and $10 billion. The 765-kilovolt lines would connect wind farms in the upper Midwest – the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa – to an existing network that ends near Chicago.

“The wind potential in this region cannot be developed unless we build a very efficient transmission superhighway to bring this clean, renewable generation to population and electricity load centers,” AEP CEO Michael Morris said in a release.

The project, which would require the approval of the region’s Midwest Independent System Operator, likely would be built in stages over 10 years, AEP said. The company plans to work with all stakeholders in the region, including other utilities.

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