Southwestern Electric Power Co. of Shreveport on Friday announced that the second of three new wind farms serving Arkansas and Lousiania had begun operation.
The 287-megawatt facility is part of the 1,485-megawatt North Central Energy Facilities project in Oklahoma. Swepco said in a news release that it receives about 810 megawatts from the project.
The new wind farm brings Arkansas' share of the energy to about 268 megawatts. It will provide power to all of Swepco's 122,800 customers in west Arkansas.
An additional 78 megawatts of power has been allotted for the company's wholesale customers, which include the cities of Bentonville, Hope and Prescott.
The Arkansas Public Service Commission approved the project in May 2020.
Malcolm Smoak, Swepco president and COO, said in the release that the Oklahoma-based wind project is expected to save customers more than $2 billion over the 30-year lifespan of the facilities.
“This wind energy is helping customers meet their own renewable energy and sustainability goals, and making communities in Louisiana and Arkansas more competitive for economic development,” Smoak said.
The third wind farm in the project is expected to begin operation early next year.
