Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OG&E), a subsidiary of Oklahoma City-based OGE Energy Corp., says it will expand its renewable energy portfolio with the construction of two 5 MW solar energy centers in southeast Oklahoma. The company-owned projects will help meet the renewable energy needs of the Chickasaw Nation and Choctaw Nation.
Both tribes will purchase approximately 50% of each farm’s solar energy output through OG&E’s solar tariff. The Chickasaw Nation – OG&E Solar Energy Center will be built in Davis, Okla. The Choctaw Nation – OG&E Solar Energy Center will be built in Durant, Okla. OG&E will construct, own and operate both centers, which are expected to come online in August 2020.
In 2015, OG&E became the first utility in Oklahoma to offer universal solar energy to customers with the construction of its first solar installation at Mustang Energy Center located in Mustang, Okla. Universal solar provides customers the opportunity to add solar energy to their personal energy portfolios without paying for expensive rooftop solar panels. In 2018, the company added approximately 10 MW of universal solar energy from a solar energy center built near Covington, Okla.
With the addition of the two new solar facilities, OG&E’s total solar energy capacity will be approximately 22.5 MW. OG&E has 6,976 MW of electric generation capacity fueled by low-sulfur coal, natural gas, wind and solar.
Photo: Members of the Choctaw Nation
