Gas

SWEPCO expands generation capacity with new gas, renewable resources

SWEPCO anticipates an increasing capacity need due to the evolving reserve requirements set by the Southwest Power Pool.
SWEPCO expands generation capacity with new gas, renewable resources
(The now-retired H.W. Pirkey Power Plant site in Hallsville, Texas, where SWEPCO will be adding a 450 MW natural gas plant. Source: SWEPCO.)

Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO) plans to add multiple natural gas-fired plants, along with new wind and solar farms, pending regulatory approval.

The American Electric Power (AEP) subsidiary has proposed adding a 450-Megawatt (MW) natural gas plant to be located at the previously retired H.W. Pirkey Power Plant site in Hallsville, Texas. The new Hallsville plant is expected to come online in 2027, pending approval from utility regulators in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. According to regulatory filings submitted December 17, the facility would feature two GE combustion gas turbine generators and utilize existing water intake structures and site infrastructure to minimize project costs, SWEPCO said.

The utility is also planning a coal-to-gas conversion project at the Welsh Power Plant, located northwest of Cason, Texas. The 1,053 MW project would convert the existing coal-fired boilers of Units 1 and 3 to burn natural gas, with Unit 1 conversion anticipated in 2028 and Unit 3 in 2027.

Natural gas currently accounts for 48% of SWEPCO’s existing power generation portfolio. Due to the evolving reserve requirements set by the Southwest Power Pool, SWEPCO anticipates an increasing capacity need.

In addition to the projects mentioned above, SWEPCO has selected a short-term capacity agreement with a natural gas-fired plant in Texas as part of a competitive bid process. The company said this agreement would serve as a bridge to more permanent resource additions.

SWEPCO continues construction on multiple renewable energy projects. The largest one, the 598 MW Wagon Wheel Wind Facility, spans five counties in Oklahoma and is expected to be operational in December 2025.

The 200 MW Diversion Wind Farm, located in Baylor County, Texas, is scheduled to begin operations this month.

SWEPCO’s first utility-scale solar farm, the 72.5 MW Rocking R Solar Facility, is also nearing completion in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. SWEPCO will not own the facility and will instead purchase the electricity generated via a purchase power agreement.

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