Public Service Co. is planning a series of community meetings in the coming weeks about its plans for construction of a transmission line to carry electricity from its proposed giant Windcatcher wind farm in the Oklahoma Panhandle.
PSO wants additional comments about 2 alternate routes for the line that will stretch from the Panhandle to northeast Oklahoma. It is planning public meetings yet this month in Enid, Woodward and Pawnee. Those events will be held Jan. 29, 30 and 31.
But new alternate paths have been proposed involving Pawnee, Creek, Tulsa and Noble counties. So meetings will also be held in those areas by the company.
The company is proposing a 765 kilovolt line to carry the power from the Panhandle to a substation near Tulsa. The company plans meetings in Glenpool, Bristow and Cushing where the east end of the line will be the focus of discussion. The Glenpool meeting will be Feb. 5 at the Glenpool Conference Center. The meeting in Bristow will be held Feb. 6 at the White Barn Events center. PSO will hold a Feb. 7 meeting at the Cushing High School. All of the meetings will start at 4 p.m. and last about 3 hours.
PSO is reviewing the alternative routes, located on the far eastern segments of the line route, to prevent delays in the project’s completion and to protect customer benefits from the project.
The company identified its proposed route for the project in early January and continues to work with local officials and landowners along that route. However, uncertainties along the proposed route may increase the risk of project delays so the company is reviewing other options.
“We continue to move forward with our proposed route, but must explore these options to ensure we complete the project on time and deliver Wind Catcher’s full benefits to customers.” said John Harper, PSO vice president, external affairs. “In the end, we want to make sure that we made the best decision.”
Following the project announcement in 2017, PSO sought feedback from the community through 11 open houses held across northern Oklahoma. Information gleaned from those meetings led to the development of a proposed route.