Southwestern Electric Power Company, which serves many customers in Arkansas, issued a release today saying it was asking for proposals to provide 1,200 megawatts of additional wind-generated energy by the end of 2021.

Said the release:

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“SWEPCO continues to see strong customer interest in more renewable energy to meet their sustainability and renewable energy goals,” said Malcolm Smoak, SWEPCO president and chief operating officer. “At the same time, SWEPCO is seeking proposals that will save customers money and further diversify our energy resource mix.” 

The projects must be in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas or Oklahoma.

SWEPCO is part of American Electric Power, once the biggest burner of coal in the country. Times are changing, even if Arkansas politicians, the business lobby and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge seem determined to cling to the polluting past, be it from burning coal or petroleum products.

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China is moving heavily to electric vehicles. I just read that a third of all cars sold in Norway last year were zero-emission and almost half are fully electric or hybrids. Arkansas will lumber along behind the curve, most likely, but as a new owner of an electric car I am happy to report that the number of charging points here is growing.

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