NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- American Electric Power Co. Inc. (AEP) said Tuesday that the company plans to develop a massive $5 billion-to-$10 billion transmission project to support wind farms in the Upper Midwest.
AEP is still examining the project's feasiblity, but if built, the 765-kilovolt lives would connect wind farms in the Dakotas and surrounding states to an existing transmission network that ends near Chicago. At its western end, the project would link to a 2-gigawatt wind farm that Hartland Wind Farm LLC, a private developer, is building in North Dakota.
Large transmission lines are notoriously difficult to build because of resistance from property owners. AEP will consider such issues as it decides whether to go forward with the project, said AEP spokeswoman Melissa McHenry.
"Siting is always one of the biggest hurdles," McHenry said.
As for funding, AEP will likely seek equity partners for the project if it goes forward, she said. The project would be built in stages over a 10-year period.
In its 10-year outlook, released in October, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation said North America will need a major build out of high-voltage lines to maintain reliability and support renewable energy development.
-By Christine Buurma, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-2061; christine.buurma@dowjones.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 02, 2008 17:42 ET (22:42 GMT)

Publié le 02 Décembre 2008 Copyright © 2008 Dowjones